Learning to Love Good
by Lia Kada
Summary: After Ginny Weasley cheats on Harry Potter with none other than Neville Longbottom, Harry's heart has been shattered to pieces. He seeks comfort in the arms of his longtime friend, Luna Lovegood.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One - Waking Up

He rolled over, and there was a loud crunch - chest throbbing in pain, Harry James Potter woke up in a pool of his own blood.

The source of the noise was a piece of mirror, now shattered into hundreds of even more jagged pieces. But it wasn't just any mirror; it was the piece of the mirror Sirius had given him, the mirror that had saved his life multiple times, the mirror Aberforth Dumbledore had the other piece of, hanging in the Hog's Head. He'd slept with it every night since…

But he didn't want to think about it. Half of him wished someone would cast a memory charm on him to make him forget that it had ever happened, or perhaps make him forget who he was.

He was twenty years old. He was the boy who lived. He was the boy who defeated the Dark Lord. He was the boy with two amazing best friends. He was the boy who was dating Ginny Weasley, one of the prettiest witches of their time.

_Too pretty for her own good, _Harry thought, recalling the time Ron had said this about his sister. Harry finally was able to appreciate how true those words were.

Menacing words and thoughts swam around in his head, thoughts he didn't want to think.

_Ginny Weasley, the prettiest witch of your time. Ginny Weasley, your best friend's sister. Ginny Weasley, famous Quidditch player. Ginny Weasley cheated on you, and now your heart is as shattered as your dead Godfather's mirror. Your scar might not hurt anymore, but everything else does. The wizarding world is in peace, but you aren't._

"SHUT UP!" he screamed. He felt like he was going insane, screaming to himself in the middle of London where he lived.

The autumn sun had already risen. Harry guessed it might've been around ten or eleven in the morning. The dim, dusty room in Number 12, Grimmauld Place, was filled with light. Harry hadn't left his Godfather's old home in two weeks, since it happened, and the bad memories that Harry was sure his Godfather, Sirius Black, had from his family's ancient home began to fill Harry up with even more resentment.

Harry searched for his wand, hidden somewhere in the bloodstained bed sheets, and finally grabbed it; it was lying at his feet.

"_Accio glasses,_" Harry grumbled, and they flew to his face. He attempted to pat down his matted, dirty, jet-black hair, but failed, as he always had. Sliding out of bed, he quickly used his wand to heal the gash in his chest and expel any bits of glass that might've sunk into his skin. He got dressed quickly, and cleaned the bed sheets and repaired the mirror with a flick of his wand.

He checked the corner of the room, near the open window, where an empty owl cage stood. His owl, Aspro, was still gone, as she had been for days. He hadn't been able to receive the Daily Prophet, so he was quite cut off from the world. Aspro was a gift given to him by Ginny, a sad replacement for Hedwig, his snowy-white owl that had died so long ago, killed by a Death Eater in a mad chase to transport him safely to the Burrow. Aspro was also snowy white and beautiful in her own way, but simply did not seem to understand Harry as well as Hedwig was able to.

The last message Harry had received was one from Hermione, sent by her owl, a few days after _it _had happened, comforting him. He never responded. He didn't want to accept that Ginny had _cheated._ He couldn't bear to even say the words in his head. How after over two years of dating, she had just-

_Forget it! _Harry commanded himself. _Forget about it, forget about her, just relax._

After he took a few deep breaths, gulping in copious amounts of the grimy air, he realized he had nothing to do and nowhere to go. He didn't bother going to work. He was an Auror, but there weren't many dark wizards to take down since Voldemort's defeat. He was sure everything could be handled without him, and no one seemed to question why he wasn't showing up to work. Of course, Harry was positive that they all knew. Ron was an Auror, the whole Ministry must know by now. Harry's face flushed at the thought, and he was filled with a mixture of animosity and depression at the fact that Ron hadn't tried communicating with him since it had happened. His face was hot, and he could feel his stomach sinking and his eyes burning, itching to shoot out boiling tears, but he held it in. He felt like he had lost not only his girlfriend, but one of his best friends as well. But he was a man now. He told himself that if he could defeat the Dark Lord, surely he'd be able to handle this. He took more deep breaths.

Suddenly, there was a banging at the door. He heard a wand tapping it, and a woman's voice shout, "_Alohomora!_"

Harry recognized the voice at once and shoved his wand back into the pocket of his faded jeans, barely realizing he had instinctively raised it.

"Hermione!" he shouted. "You could've just knocked on the door! I would've opened for you!"

He walked to the main hallway and saw Hermione Jean Weasley standing there, managing a weak smile. Her hair had gotten longer, and the summer had stained it with beautiful blonde streaks. "I had to be sure," she replied, then ran up to Harry, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Hermione!" he said, but he couldn't help smiling.

"Oh, Harry!" she said, and it sounded like she was going to sob. "I'm so sorry! Are you doing okay? Oh! You probably don't want to talk about it! I'm so stupid!"

"Hermione, you're brilliant. It's fine… I'm fine," he managed, but he could tell Hermione was not convinced.

"If it helps, I'm not speaking to her anymore," she said firmly. "Ron's mad at her, too, but he thinks you're mad at him, Harry, that's why he hasn't been talking to you. I told him he's being foolish, that we aren't children anymore," she explained, "but he won't budge. But that's going to change, that's going to change today."

"Hermione," Harry began cautiously, "What have you planned?"

"Well - you know - Ron and I live together now, so he's moved from the Burrow, and you know, Ginny still lives there, so we couldn't go there, but - but - I planned something at our house, the cottage, it's not too far from the Burrow, but far enough so you wouldn't run into that two-timing…"

"Hermione," he said, almost laughing. "Spit it out!"

"I planned a bit of a reunion, for some old friends. Seamus, Dean, and Lee'll be there, Luna's coming, she lives right there, George and Angelina - they're dating now, isn't it wonderful, he isn't so sad nowadays - just some other members of Dumbledore's Army, what do you think?" she asked, sounding excited.

"You - you haven't invited -" he sputtered, trying to speak, the words not coming, choking on a name he didn't want to say-

"Nev-?" she began, but regretting saying the beginning of the name as soon as it came out of her mouth after seeing the look on Harry's face; he grimaced as though in pain. "I'm so sorry, Harry-"

"No. Don't apologize. It's fine, it really is. My fault-" he tried to continue, but the words were caught in his throat.

Hermione threw her arms around him again. "So you'll come?" she asked hopefully.

"You aren't going to let me say no," he said, the corners of his mouth twitching into an almost-grin. He knew Hermione too well.

She nodded, smiling from ear to ear. "Let's get you ready, then, so we can get to the cottage by noon, though the reunion's not 'til evening… Did I mention you'd be staying with us for a while?" she added.

"What? No, Hermione, I don't want to be a burden… I can take care of myself! Really, Hermione! With Ron not speaking to me… Don't you think it's awkward enough that I'll be within a few miles of _her_?" Harry spat.

"I _want _you to stay. Ron misses you, too, he's just too stubborn and upset to say it. Come on, now!" she said determinedly, waving her wand around the house, gathering all of Harry's belongings into his trunk and landing Aspro's cage on top it smoothly. "All set, then?" she asked Harry, who nodded without speaking. "Would you rather take the Floo Network or apparate?"

"Well, seeing as it's going to be awkward enough going to Ron's house and seeing him and all, and being in the same village as Ginny and Neville-" he forced himself to say their names, remembering Dumbledore's words: _Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself, _ "-I'd rather not show up in his fireplace," said Harry, and he and Hermione managed a quiet laugh.

"Apparate it is, then," she said, glowing with happiness. Harry admired that Hermione still cared about him as much, if not more, than she always had, even though she had married Ron in June. Their marriage, exactly two years and one month after the Battle of Hogwarts, where Voldemort was defeated, seemed to finally brighten up George, who was in a depression ever since Fred had died. At the wedding, George finally reconnected with Angelina Johnson and his other old friend, Lee Jordan, and he seemed to be his old self, or near it… Harry didn't see how George could be the same without Fred - they completed each other.

Harry reluctantly grasped Hermione's hand tightly with his right hand, and held onto his trunk and Aspro's cage with his left. Within a split second, they were traveling through that uncomfortable darkness, dangerously fast. Harry felt as though he was being squeezed through a tube. He nearly forgot the uncomfortable sensation, as he hadn't left his house in weeks.

Finally, they landed in a place Harry recognized only too well - the small village of Ottery St. Catchpole, where the Weasley, Lovegood, Fawcett, and Diggory families resided, among other Muggle families. They were in front of an adorable small cottage that Harry used to visit so often. The grey bricks of the house were sparkling and clean, and the cool autumn breeze rustled the thatched roof of the house and the roses that lay planted in the garden.

"I really love roses," Hermione said wistfully, taking in a deep breath of the fresh, sweet air. "I told Ron that if we ever have a daughter, we've got to name her Rose…"

Harry smiled, happy for his best friend. Hermione abruptly stopped daydreaming and blushed. "Sor-" she began.

"Don't," said Harry. "I'm happy that you're happy."

Hermione beamed and helped Harry carry his trunk and cage onto the front steps. She knocked loudly on the door of her home. "Ron!" she called. "It's me!"

He heard quick footsteps, and the door swung open. Ron looked at Hermione, then to Harry, then back at Hermione. A baffled look arose on his face. He looked older, more mature, more grown up. He was wearing freshly ironed clothes, which Harry was sure was Hermione's work. His hair was also neatly combed.

"Harry's staying with us for a bit," Hermione said curtly. "Be a good friend and help him carry his things to the guest bedroom. I'll be preparing tea in the kitchen." And with that, she disappeared into the house, leaving Ron gaping at Harry, and Harry looking uncomfortably at the ground.

"So," Ron said, breaking the silence. "I'll help you get these things to your room, then," and after an awkward silence, "Nice to see you, mate."

"Really? After ignoring my letters for two weeks, it's nice to see me?" Harry said angrily. He couldn't help himself.

"I'm sorry, I really am! But she's my sister! And you're my best mate! It was a conflict of interests from the beginning!"

Harry was silent for a moment. "Who else knows? Does everyone at work know?" Sensing Ron's hesitation, Harry spoke louder. "Ron, who else knows that she-"

"-cheated on the boy who lived? The chosen one? Everyone knows, Harry, you're famous. I've been snatching all your copies of the Daily Prophet before Aspro gets them to you-"

"You've been WHAT?" Harry shouted. "Let me see a copy! Today's copy! Now!"

"Harry, trust me, you don't want to see-"

"_Accio Daily Prophet!_" Harry yelled, and a newspaper flew from the kitchen into Harry's outstretched hand. He began to read.

**THE BOY WHO LIVED, THE GIRL WHO CHEATED****.**

**BY: RITA SKEETER**

Sources inform us that the famous chosen one, Harry Potter, who defeated Lord Voldemort only two years ago, was cheated on! His lady love, Ginevra Weasley, who plays for the Holyhead Harpies, was caught cheating on Harry with Harry's old friend from Hogwarts who helped him defeat the Dark Lord, none other than Neville Longbottom, son of ex-Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom! Neither Ginevra nor Neville were available for comment, as they seem to be hiding out somewhere in Devon. Harry Potter has also gone into hiding, but his whereabouts are unknown as he has not been sighted in approximately two weeks, when the scandal went public!

So how did Harry catch his longtime love cheating? At an after-party of a Holyhead Harpies Quidditch match! After a smashing win, Longbottom and Weasley were spotted getting cozy in a broom cupboard. Potter, who originally had not planned to go to the party due to his duties as an Auror, wanted to surprise his girlfriend with a marriage proposal! When he found Ginevra and Longbottom and they attempted to explain themselves, he reportedly apparated on the spot and hasn't been seen since. Hopefully, this latest blow won't leave a permanent scar on poor Potter's heart!

**NEXT PAGE: SHOULD POTTER HAVE SEEN IT COMING? SHOCKING PICTURES OF LONGBOTTOM AND WEASLEY AT THE YULE BALL TOGETHER!**

For once, Rita Skeeter had gotten something right. Harry was remembering the moment like it had just happened. The ring in his pocket, the huge smile that was on his face, the warmth that filled his heart, and then…

Ron grabbed the paper out of Harry's hands, which proved to be an easy task, since they had gone limp, and ripped it in half. Harry's eyes sparkled with what he knew and feared would happen - tears. Ron, without thinking, hugged Harry, and Harry and Ron had both soon forgotten that they were ever fighting. After a while, they sat down on the bed.

"I haven't talked to her, either, mate," Ron began. "I didn't want to talk to you 'cause I figured you'd be mad at me."

"Why?" said Harry suspiciously. "Did you know-"

"No, of course I didn't know she was cheating! It was a shock to me! Mum was crying, dad was livid. Bill- well, he was always her favorite, and he's even disappointed. She talked to George about it, too, apparently it had been going on for some time, he told me yesterday. The fame got to her head, I suppose."

"Well, enough about that," Harry said firmly. "I don't want to talk about that. "It happened, it's over. I don't want to know more. I don't need to know more."

"Yeah. Go meet some nice witches and move on. It's for the best. I never liked Longbottom either, he's always been a bit of a twat."

"He destroyed part of Voldemort's soul and helped me kill the man who killed my parents."

"Who's side are you on, mate?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Harry's brain was fuzzy.

"I'm sorry," Ron said softly. "Are you still mad at me?"

"You're my best friend."

"I've missed you, Harry. Spending all day with Hermione sounds great, but she's got me planting _roses _with her, honestly, I feel like I can barely be called a man anymore," Ron said, and they both laughed. Harry had gotten his best friends back.

After catching up with Ron for a bit, they walked on the creaky cherry wood floors and into the kitchen, where a smiling and triumphant-looking Hermione had prepared lunch and set a table for three, the scent fresh roast beef and Yorkshire pudding filling Harry's nose, goblets filled to the brim with pumpkin juice for each of them. Harry had not eating such good food in weeks, maybe months.

"Y'know, you really are the brightest witch of our age," Ron said to Hermione, smiling with his mouth full of pudding.

"We can all be best friends again, then?" she said, sounding genuinely happy, beaming with joy.

Harry and Ron nodded simultaneously, both looking as though giant weights had been lifted off of them; they were instantly younger, fresher, brighter. They were once again cheerful young adults. Harry began to appreciate the sun shining, the birds singing, the calming gentle wind from the open windows. He found himself looking forward to the reunion tonight. He could almost feel one crack on his heart being mended.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two - An Unpleasant Surprise

For the rest of that warm October afternoon, Harry and Ron de-gnomed the rose garden and took care of other household chores; Hermione was busy writing a proposal for the fair treatment of house elves and other magical creatures. The infestation of gnomes at Ron and Hermione's cottage was nearly as bad as it was at the Burrow. Harry remembered the summer he turned twelve, the first summer he stayed at the Burrow, when Ron and Fred and George rescued him from the Dursley family, his last living relatives.

So much had changed since then. Harry hadn't seen his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and cousin Dudley since a couple days after the Battle of Hogwarts, where he found them and told them it was safe to move back into their home. They were on better terms now; Harry knew that Petunia was thankful that Harry had destroyed the wizard who had killed her only sister, and she had finally begun to show Harry affection, like an aunt should. However, they never went out of their way to see each other, and since he had been staying at the Burrow for the majority of the past two years, he hadn't communicated with them in a long while.

His mind drifted back to his first summer at the Burrow. That was where he met Ginny. She was shocked to see him and couldn't bear talking to him for a while. She treated him like he was some huge celebrity, like he was her idol. _Well, that much has changed, _Harry thought. Ron seemed to sense that Harry was thinking about her, as he subconsciously scowled.

"Let's go inside," Ron suggested, looking up into the sky at the setting sun. "It's getting late, they'll be coming any second. I'd better clear out the fireplace."

As soon as Ron and Harry had stepped inside, there was a loud _crack! _and Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan appeared a few yards away.

"Harry! We didn't know you'd be here!" Dean said, shocked.

Harry smiled. "Nice to see you, too," he replied, and they both laughed.

"It's been too long," Seamus said. "Me girlfriend - er, fiancé - Lavender, she's a bit clingy, you know her, you know how she is," he added, winking at Ron, who groaned. "I got rid of her for tonight, though, she's going shopping with me mam for wedding things, she was glad to leave me out of it."

"Dunno how you put up with her," Ron grumbled.

"It's not too hard to put up with the snogging, mate," Seamus said, chuckling. "Dean's got a girl, too, haven't you, Dean?"

"Well, Katie Bell and I-" Dean began.

"Katie?" Ron said loudly. "You're serious?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Dean asked defensively.

"Oh, nothing-" he said, noticing the look on Dean's face, "-It's just that I've seen her a lot, y'know, she's a good friend of Angelina and George, and ever since… Well, she's been visiting us a lot, and she hasn't mentioned anything about…" Ron finished awkwardly. Ron had never exactly been great at being subtle.

"Let's go inside, shall we?" Harry cut in, attempting to break the silence. He knew that the entire Gryffindor house had been crushed over Fred's death. Dean, Seamus, and Ron nodded and followed Harry into the kitchen.

"Hermione," Ron called. "Dean and Seamus've arrived. You can take a break from that paper, you've got the whole week to finish it, the Ministry doesn't need it until Thursday. It's only Saturday, you know that, right?"

Hermione squealed and shot up out of her desk in the corner of the kitchen and quickly greeted Dean and Seamus. The cottage was rather petite - the front door led into the kitchen, and a hallway to the right led to two comfortably-sized bedrooms and a bathroom.

"I'm so sorry!" she began. "I lost track of time - writing an important paper - the rights of magical creatures-"

"It's all very important, we know," said a voice from the fireplace. George and Angelina had arrived, hand in hand.

"George! Angelina!" Harry said, smiling. "It's been too long."

"I didn't think you'd be here, Harry! It'd be lovely to catch up, but first, wanna help us get out of the fireplace, mate?" George asked. "Ron forgot to remove the cover, I 'spect." Hermione frowned in Ron's direction, and with a flick of her wand, it was gone. George and Angelina stepped out of the fireplace, covered in soot, which Hermione quickly fixed with another wave of her wand.

"Last time we use the Floo network to get here," George said jokingly. He seemed back to normal, no longer as solemn and melancholy as he had been for much of the past two years.

"Lovely to see you two," Hermione said graciously, hugging Angelina.

Dean and Seamus shook George's hand, and Ron wrapped him in a brotherly embrace. "D'you know when Lee and Luna'll be here?" Ron asked George.

"Lee sent me an owl this morning, he's coming by broomstick. Never liked apparating, got splinched nearly every time," George said, and everyone chuckled.

"It's windy out, so it might take him a bit longer," Angelina observed, looking outside the window, at the shaking trees and flowers. She looked older, more mature, and so did George.

All of a sudden, there was a quiet knock at the door, and a muffled singsong voice said, "Ooh, gnome footprints! I wonder if I'll get bit!"

"Luna!" everyone said at once, a contagious grin spreading amongst them all. Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. Harry quickly opened the door.

Luna stood there smiling, her milky skin and wide silver eyes glowing in the darkness. Her dirty blonde hair had gotten longer since Harry last saw her at Ron and Hermione's wedding; it now skimmed the bottom of her waist, nearly at her hips. "It's nice to see you," Harry said, and she smiled.

"Your owl's not very trustworthy. I could see it in her eyes. I met her when I was in a forest looking for Blibbering Humdingers last week. I wrote a letter for her to send you. She didn't send you the letter I wrote, did she?" Luna asked.

"No, she didn't," Harry said, scowling. "She's gone now, and I don't really care if she comes back." Harry didn't bother asking how Luna knew what Harry's owl looked like - they never had exchanged messages and only spoke when Harry and Ginny had visited her, as she didn't live far. However, Luna had gone on an expedition to search for rare fish specimen in various European bodies of water, and Harry hadn't seen her since around July.

"I knew she was your owl because there aren't very many white owls in England, and even the owl's head was full of wrackspurts, Harry," she said, giggling. "Your head's always full of them, but now more than usual. They can be contagious, you know."

Harry was happy that at least someone in his life hadn't changed a bit. He led her inside, and Hermione conjured more chairs. The kitchen wasn't too small. They all fit comfortably, but only just barely. Dean, Seamus, Ron, and George sat on one side of the table, and Luna, Harry, Hermione, and Angelina on the other.

"Who else are we expecting besides Lee?" Dean asked after they had all caught up over steaming mugs of tea. A dusty grandfather clock next to Hermione's desk in the corner of the kitchen struck six.

"Well, Alicia and Dennis both told me they couldn't come-" Hermione began.

"Katie's not coming," interjected Dean. "Quidditch practice."

"What about Ernie and Hannah, seeing as they're married now?" Ron asked.

"They're on their honeymoon, mate, they're definitely not coming," George responded.

"What about Zacharias Smith?" Seamus asked.

"Hermione, you better've not invited that humongous-" Ron started, and everyone laughed.

"Of course I haven't invited him, Ron, I haven't spoken to him in years. He deserted Hogwarts right before the battle, remember? I haven't heard from him since," Hermione said reassuringly.

"Good riddance if you ask me," Seamus grumbled, and Ron nodded vigorously.

Suddenly, there was a thunderous _thud _at the front door, and Harry could hear someone hit the ground with another bang, and begin to curse under his breath.

"Well, Lee's arrived, all right," George noted. Hermione jumped up from her seat, and with a gesture of her wand, the door opened. Lee Jordan limped inside, a mangled Nimbus 2003 in one hand and a wand in the other.

"You look like hell, mate," George said to him as he sat down in the last remaining chair next to Angelina. Lee's short dreadlocks were tangled with leaves and twigs, his face scratched and bleeding, and his robes torn.

"Thanks, George, lovely to see you," he said sarcastically, grimacing as Hermione was healing his wounds. Luna fetched him some tea, and Ron was studying Lee's broom.

"A Nimbus 2003? You'd think it'd work better. Glad you're here in one piece," he joked.

Lee finally noticed Harry. "Harry! I didn't know you'd be here! They say you're in hiding and all-"

"Let's have dinner, then, shall we?" Hermione quickly suggested. "I've made shepherd's pie and steak and kidney pudding."

"Hermione's cooking is delicious, it is," Ron added. Hermione blushed.

Angelina, Luna, and Hermione helped bring it all to the table, and the steam from the freshly cooked foods blurred Harry's glasses. They all dug in, Ron stuffing his face with more than it looked like it could hold, his cheeks swelling like a chipmunk's.

"Ron, d'you think you're eating enough? I'm worried, you've barely touched the food," George piped in between mouthfuls of pie, and everyone chuckled except for Ron, who glared at George while swallowing a colossal amount of steak and kidney pudding.

"It's delicious, Hermione," Luna said in her dreamy voice. "Next week, you must come to my house, and I can make freshwater plimpy soup! Everyone wants the recipe!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione instantly made eye contact, remembering the day when Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna's father, claimed that Luna was out fishing plimpies when in reality, she was being held captive at Malfoy Manor.

"That sounds splendid, Luna," Hermione finally managed, barely able to cover up her frown. Harry was sure Luna knew Hermione was lying - if there was one thing Luna did exceptionally well, it was reading people. Harry had not forgotten the time when he was disguised from Polyjuice Potion at Bill and Fleur Weasley's wedding and Luna instantly could tell it was Harry, simply from his facial expressions.

As everyone except Ron finished their food, they began chatting about how their lives had been since the end of the Second Wizarding War.

"You guys are all invited to me wedding," Seamus said, smiling from ear to ear. "It's in December, in the church in Godric's Hollow, where Lavender grew up. Me mam was crying that we're not having it in Ireland, but personally, I don't want all me family being there, and neither does Lavender."

Everyone laughed, and Dean and Ron patted Seamus on the back, congratulating him, and Harry began thinking about the church, about Godric's Hollow, about his parents, when out of the blue, there was another knock on the door.

"No one else should be coming," Hermione said worriedly, but cautiously stood up to answer it. Ron followed, putting his arm protectively around her waist and raising his wand.

"Ron! Hermione! It's me! Open up!" a young woman's voice called. Harry recognized it too well. He couldn't believe it.

"Neville's with me! Hannah told him about the reunion, so we thought we'd stop by. Can't believe you didn't invite us, I ought to Bat-Bogey hex Ron, I bet it was his idea to leave us out," Ginny continued.

Ron and Hermione, who still hadn't opened the door, swiftly turned around to look at Harry. Hermione's eyes were tear filled, and she mouthed the words, "I'm so sorry," while Ron whispered, "Bloody hell…"

"Open up or we'll blast this door apart, Ron, I heard you," she said, laughing.

"C'mon, who else is there?" Harry heard Neville ask.

Without thinking, Harry stood up, and with a last look at everyone's shocked faces and an earsplitting _crack! _he disapparated. He didn't even think of where he would go. He didn't wait long enough to think. He felt like he was being squeezed to oblivion through a tiny tube - all he knew was that he needed to get out - he couldn't see her, or him, and -

_THUD. _He landed in front of a church. His head was spinning, his eyes watering from the forceful gusts of wind. Getting up on shaky legs, he finally realized where he was. It was the church in Godric's Hollow, the place where he was born, the place where his parents had lived, and of course, the place that Seamus had just been talking about. No wonder it was the first place to come to his mind. He saw a graveyard in the distance, but didn't have the heart to go sob over his parents' graves right now. He already felt too fragile and vulnerable. The last time he was here, he was with Hermione, and he almost got killed by Voldemort's snake, Nagini.

He sat down on the church steps. That was a quick escape. He wondered if Ginny and Neville knew he'd been there. Or could Hermione quickly dispose of the evidence, a plate full of food scraps and his trunk and owl cage in the empty bedroom? What would everyone else think? Should he have stayed there and taken it like a man? Or was it better for him to leave, to make the whole night substantially less awkward?

He pressed his hands over his face, and sat there for some time. He didn't know how long it was. It could've been seconds. It could've been minutes. To Harry, it felt like hours. It was as though his heart had been re-broken, just hearing her voice, hearing her with _him_. His eyes were tearing from the wind, but for a second, he wondered if his eyes would be wet even if there was no wind. He pulled his wand out of his pocket. "_Lumos,_" he whispered, and the tip of his wand ignited. He held it up and looked around. The area seemed empty at first, but Harry thought he saw something move out of the corner of his eye, to the left of the church, near the graveyard.

"_Homenun Revelio!_" he whispered.

There was definitely someone else in the area.

"Who is it? Who's there?" Harry called. It couldn't've been a Muggle. _No Muggle would walk around without a flashlight at this hour_, he thought. Then, a beautiful idea appeared in his head. He had his invisibility cloak in his pocket; he was never without it, even if the most evil wizard of all time was dead and gone. He quickly swaddled himself with the silver, fluid-like cloak, whispered, "_Nox,_" and walked towards where the person was. It was very dark now, but Harry didn't have a clue what time it was, nor did he really care.

"Harry? I know you're nearby. I can see the wrackspurts!"

_Luna, _he thought. _Luna's here. What's she doing here? How the hell did Luna know I'd be here?_

Without thinking, he shed his cloak and stuffed it into his pocket. He lit the tip of his wand again so he could see, and sure enough, there stood Luna, porcelain skin shining in the darkness, wearing a long, mint-green dress that seemed to make her glow even brighter against the rich, velvety darkness.

"How?" he mumbled. It was all he could manage. He felt broken, humiliated, confused, angry, miserable, and upset all at once.

"You were born here. Your mum and dad died here; they're buried here. Seamus mentioned it, and then I knew, as soon as you left, that this is where you would be. It's simple, really," she explained.

Harry was astounded. He didn't remember ever mentioning Godric's Hollow to Luna, but then again, he was the world-famous Boy Who Lived. "Why - why'd you come? Here? For me? You're her friend. One of her best."

"Not anymore," Luna said, frowning. "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure. What Ginny did really wasn't very smart at all. Stupid, actually."

"I suppose," Harry murmured. He couldn't find the energy in him to speak clearly, or to do much of anything. Just as he was forgetting her…

"You want to know what happened after you left, but you want to forget about her, too, don't you?" she asked Harry. "You might think you can't have it both ways, but maybe if you knew what was going on, it could bring you to some closure. That's how you feel, isn't it?"

He nodded. He was drained with every thought about her. Nodding was all he could manage to do. His overgrown hair masked his vision, yet he couldn't lift up his hand to push it to the side - he had forgotten how to _live _- he forgot every time he thought of Ginny.

"Hermione started crying the second you left, and of course Ronald was comforting her… Ginny and Neville didn't know what was going on, but she blasted the door open, and they walked in, but, well, it was awful timing, but Aspro flew in right behind them, and of course then she knew," Luna elucidated. Harry groaned.

"Dean and Seamus apparated on the spot. I can't blame them… The tension was making the cottage a bit stuffy," she said in her distant voice, yet something told Harry that she was closer to him than ever. "I don't know anything else. I left right then."

Harry couldn't speak, due to what felt like a massive object caught in his throat, so they stood in silence for some time until Luna spoke softly, "You want to sit. Let's find somewhere to sit."

She gently placed her hand in his and led him to a small wooden bench on the other side of the aged, red-brick church.

"How do you feel?" she asked Harry kindly.

"Can't you tell?" he croaked. "You can always tell. If I was half as good as you at understanding people, maybe none of this would have happened. I feel like I've changed. I feel so different. I feel like I don't belong."

"I could tell, but I wanted you to tell me."

"I hate her. I hate her so much."

"You're getting over her."

"Maybe I am."

"Closure?"

"Maybe. Maybe not quite yet. But hearing her, so happy, with him, like she was with me… Not knowing why she cheated… I thought everything was perfect… But now she's replaced me, with him!"

"It hurt, didn't it? You feel as though you'll never be happy again, but worse than dementors, because you'll have to wake up every morning and feel it all again."

"How would you know what it feels like?" he said bitterly, then instantly regretted it. Before he could apologize, however, she spoke.

"Don't apologize."

"I'm being a git."

"I was dating Neville."

Harry immediately sat up straighter, completely shocked. "I had no idea, Luna, I'm so sorry, I can't believe - that - _trollop_ - Ginny - ruined -"

"Harry Potter, calm down!" she ordered, though Harry thought he could see the corners of her lips twitch upwards.

"Sorry," he grumbled, flushing a bit.

"I wore green tonight because daddy told me that the color green represents family. That's what I thought it would be, meeting up with Dumbledore's Army after all this time. But it didn't feel like family, Harry. You see, I haven't had a whole family in a very long time," she said. Harry knew she was trying to cover it, but he could hear her dreamy voice become more serious, shaking with each word.

Without saying a word, Harry wrapped his arm around Luna.

"You're my best friend," she whispered. "It feels nice to have a best friend."

Harry felt happier than he had in a while. He was, for the moments they sat in front of the church in Godric's Hollow together, content, at ease, a very much less broken man. Luna understood him, simply put, like no one else could. She had a way of calming him, of understanding what he wanted to say without him having to say it. And for a while that evening, Harry didn't care about Ginny, Neville, or anyone or anything else; it was just Luna, and his arm wrapped around her, and her protuberant, gleaming eyes that seemed to stare right down to his very complete, entire soul.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three - All Hallow's Eve

The next thing Harry knew, the entire world was sunlit, cool, but not as cold as the night had been, and he was uncomfortably pressed upon slabs of wood, his arm numb. _Wood. Bench. Arm numb, _he thought, slowly coming to his senses. "Luna," he murmured, wiping the sleep from his emerald green eyes.

And there she was, her shimmering grey eyes opened wide as usual. She was smiling. Harry noticed that she seemed to be watching him wake up as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Good morning, Harry Potter," she said blissfully.

"Luna, what time is it? How long have we been here?"

"It's approximately nine o'clock in the morning. It's the eighth of October in the year 2000. Rather a lovely Sunday morning, if you ask me. I like autumn quite a bit. The nights are cold, but the days are warmer. The leaves change colors marvelously. I wonder what it's like for the leaves… Slowly but beautifully dying," she mused.

"D'you think we should go back?" he asked cautiously. He loved hearing all of Luna's ideas and theories, but he felt it impolite to leave Ron and Hermione without so much as a goodbye. He wondered if he'd be welcomed to stay there again after last night's fiasco. And on top of it all, he was utterly astonished that he had fallen asleep with his arm around Luna. He couldn't think straight. _Wrackspurts, _he muttered to himself instinctively. He needed to be alone, or with someone like Hermione; she could always help him sort his thoughts out.

"It's going to start raining soon," she noted, looking up at the sky, as if she hadn't heard Harry at all. He stared at her, pondering what went on in her head - what did her ears take in, and what did she actually hear? What was going on in the world of Luna Lovegood? His brain was swimming with questions about her, but he couldn't come to any conclusions. She wasn't like any girl he had ever known. It seemed, he thought, too demeaning to call her just a woman. She had to be something more, Harry just had no idea what. "Daddy's probably worried about me… We were going to go fishing together today," she told Harry.

"You can still go with him if we return quickly," Harry informed her. "The day's just begun."

"Oh, no, if you want to catch freshwater plimpies, you must go before the sun rises. They're afraid of light, you see," she said very matter-of-factly. "I'll take you sometime!" After glancing at the sky one more time, she held out her hand. "You're right. We should go back. Now." Harry took her hand, and as if on cue, it began to pour as they disapparated with a _crack _that Harry was sure would wake all the Muggles in the village.

Before Harry could really register the feeling of being sucked down a thin, rigid pipe, Luna and Harry landed in front of Ron and Hermione's cottage. "I think you need to be with them alone. I'm going to walk home from here. I don't like apparating. If I walk, I can see all the creatures that only come out in the rain," she said firmly after seeing the look on Harry's face. What kind of gentleman, what kind of friend, would he be to let Luna walk home alone while it was raining? She lived a good two or three miles away. "It's only drizzling," she added. "You can't be seen, remember? You aren't here." And with that, she turned away from him and strolled slowly in the direction of her home.

Harry still couldn't decide what to think of her, but his confusion was interrupted by a growling stomach. He quickly knocked on the door of the cottage. Within seconds, the door opened, and there Hermione stood, a sudden look of relief emerged on her face. "Harry! You're back! Ron and I were worried sick - and then Luna went to find you! I wonder where she is! Oh, Harry, come inside and eat! You're all wet," she said, quickly casting a water-repellant charm on the lenses of his glasses. The two of them walked inside, and as she swiftly waved her wand, a chair pulled out so Harry could sit, and plates of bacon, eggs, toast, and marmalade flew in front of Harry on the table.

"Luna found me. She's safe now. Going home," Harry said in between mouthfuls of the delicious food. "Where's Ron?" he added as he saw Hermione suspiciously raise an eyebrow.

"He's helping out George at the joke shop today. He should be back before supper, but that's not important. Did you spend the night with Luna?"

"Yes-" he began, "- but not like that!" he exclaimed after seeing the look on Hermione's face. "She found me in Godric's Hollow-"

"Oh! I'm so stupid! I should've known that's where you went! Seamus had mentioned it right before… It's where you were born, where your parents died-"

"That's how Luna knew I'd be there. Anyways, she calmed me down, and the next thing I know I'd fallen asleep, and then it was morning. It started to rain, so we came back," Harry concluded. "That was all."

"You don't _fancy _her, do you, Harry?"

"She - she _gets _me, y'know? I've always thought that, though, and never _fancied _her. She's a great friend…" Harry trailed off, thinking of how after the Battle of Hogwarts, where she fought valiantly and helped him discover a Horcrux, she had been the only one to know exactly what he had wanted - some peace and quiet. How in his fifth year, she was in his mind even when he was kissing Cho. She had also loyally and fearlessly fought with him and the others at the Ministry that same year, and in Harry's sixth year, at the Battle in the Astronomy Tower. How she'd never doubted his story of Voldemort's return when nearly everyone else did. How she'd been a loyal member of Dumbledore's Army since it was established.

"You're blushing, Harry," Hermione said, grinning. "You can just tell me-"

"Look, Hermione, I don't know!" he snapped. "It's been less than three weeks since - and I'm sort of confused - and I thought you could help me-"

"Harry, these things take time. If there was a spell that could really, honestly help you, you know I wouldn't hesitate. But this isn't a thing that can be cured by _magic._"

"Well, what should I do, then?"

"Spend some time with her, as friends. Or spend some time alone to figure out if you're ready to close the Ginny Weasley chapter of your life. I don't know how exactly you'd do that, but I feel as though you're getting there, Harry, I know you are," she insisted. "I have faith in you."

"I just wish I knew why she cheated, y'know?" He sighed. A bit of his appetite had been lost since the mention of her name, but he didn't get that urge to vomit anymore.

"I hate to say it, Harry, but Ginny's never really stayed with one man for two long. I've noticed that ever since she's been playing for the Holyhead Harpies, she's been a bit snobbish, and I s'pose, Neville being rather famous and all, that the fame got to both their heads. I hate to say this, Harry, but she's been with quite a few men… Maybe she likes the chase; maybe she just likes the man of the moment. Neville did get a lot of attention after killing Nagini." Harry frowned for a moment, wondering how life might've been different if Ron or Hermione had managed to kill Nagini. "Perhaps he never really got over his massive crush on her from year four," she speculated. "Who knows? But the thing is, Harry, if you're ever really over her, I think that you just might not _want _to know anymore. You just might not care at all. Then, I think, you're ready to shut the chapter. Just my opinion, if it's worth anything."

"Hermione, you're brilliant. I think I'm getting there," he declared proudly. "Yeah, I definitely am. I won't let her keep me from being happy!"

"I'm proud of you, Harry!" she squealed, clasping him in a bear hug. Harry blushed even more. He finally felt as though his life was slowly but surely falling back into place.

The rain didn't cease at all during the afternoon and continued into the chilly and turbulent night. The windows of the cottage rattled and the walls shook so violently as though the structure of the house was threatening to collapse.

"Don't worry!" Hermione yelled over the deafening rainstorm. "It's protected by spells! Ron should be home any second!" She was looking at a clock directly over the oven. Harry noticed it was exactly like Mrs. Weasley's clock - instead of numbers, there were different places written down, like "working," "travelling," "home," and "in danger!" and one hand on the clock had a picture of Hermione at the end, whilst the other had a picture of Ron. Mrs. Weasley must have shown Hermione how to make one. Following Hermione's precise prediction, there was a deafening noise over the sound of rain beating down on the roof and thunder and wind shaking the earth, and Ron appeared in the kitchen where Harry and Hermione were sitting at the table, waiting for Ron's arrival to begin eating the mouth-watering supper of roast lamb.

"Harry. You're back," Ron said immediately. Harry could tell by the tone in his voice that he'd been worried and upset. He wasn't usually so serious.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Hermione cut in. "He was in Godric's Hollow."

"That's a bit random. Why'd you go there?" Ron asked, sitting down in the chair next to Harry.

"I dunno. First place to pop into my head, I suppose."

"Why'd you come back?"

"Luna said we should." The words popped out of his mouth before he could think. Listening to Luna seemed like the most natural thing for him to do.

"Luna?" Ron said, dumbstruck. "You don't mean to tell me-"

"Ron," Hermione interjected. "The food's getting cold. You can catch up with Harry later." Harry knew that Hermione understood that Harry would want a man-to-man talk with Ron without Hermione there, and Harry quickly shot her a look that read, "_Thank you._"

Ron was still eyeing Harry suspiciously, but never one to turn down food, he began inhaling the contents of his plate. Harry followed suit, and Hermione smiled, shook her head, and chortled, "Boys…"

After dinner, Hermione continued on her now nearly 70-page-long Ministry proposal, and Ron and Harry went into the guest bedroom to talk. The storm had died down a bit, so it was no longer necessary to scream over the tumultuous gusts of wind. Harry conjured two squashy velvet armchairs to squeeze into the relatively small bedroom, and he and Ron sat.

"So," began Ron, obviously trying to be nonchalant, "it's you and Loony Lovegood now, is it?"

"Way to be subtle, Ron!" Hermione called from the kitchen.

"_Muffliato!_" Harry whispered, pointing his wand at the door.

"Thanks, mate," Ron said, laughing.

"What happened?" Harry asked, remembering Luna's words that learning the whole truth, no matter how ugly, could bring closure.

"When?"

"After I-"

"After you split? Well, she - Ginny - and _Longbottom_ came in, and everything was really silent for a bit, and then-"

"Aspro flew in."

"How'd you know that?"

"Luna."

"Ah. Well, everyone just sat there, y'know, kind of unable to speak, 'cause everyone knew what had happened but no one wanted to say it, of course. Dean and Seamus disapparated without so much as a second look, those prats, and then Luna followed suit - that's when she found you, I 'spect," he recounted. Harry nodded, and Ron continued, "George told Angelina to meet him back at his place, the little room over the Joke Shop, that this was a family matter, so she took some Floo powder and was gone before you could say Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and Lee took the hint and got on that broomstick of his and left. Hermione was crying, and I was comforting her…" Harry noticed a slight grin at this part. "And you wouldn't believe this, Harry, but Ginny and George got into a bit of a shouting match…"

"Blimey, I haven't seen George angry at Ginny since I've known him," Harry exclaimed, feeling guilty for causing an argument amongst two Weasleys - the Weasleys had always been like family to Harry, and were extremely tight knit.

"It's not your fault, mate, he's been angry at her ever since it happened. You're like a brother to him… You're like a brother to me. I'd choose to be on good terms with you rather than on good terms with Ginny any day, trust me. She's always been a bit of a pain, really."

"What did they say to each other?"

"He told her she was an inconsiderate little scrubber, and that if there was a Dumbledore's Army reunion at our house, even a troll could figure out that Harry would be there," Ron said, half-smiling. "It gets better," he added, glancing at Harry's awed expression. "She said that she'd been a loyal member of Dumbledore's Army from the moment it was founded, so she should've been welcome. And George says, 'Yeah, we all know how loyal you've been to its founder,' so she pulls out her wand. You should've seen Longbottom, he was backed into a corner, Hermione had just pulled her wand on him. Ginny lost it and started yelling some curse at Hermione, which of course, the most brilliant witch of our time quickly blocked. So she turned on George and started muttering something. He was quicker, though, and let's just say that Ginny had to've learned her Bat-Bogey hexes from someone."

"So she and Neville, they left right then?" Harry asked, unsuccessfully attempting to stifle a snicker.

"Yeah. It was in their best interest. Hermione yelled that she'd taken Ginny and Neville off the Christmas card list. I think she was really upset about that," Ron said wryly.

"Sorry for destroying the reunion, mate," Harry laughed.

"Wouldn't've been one without you. Anyhow, it's your turn. Loony - er - Luna found you in Godric's Hollow. Was there snogging?"

"No," said Harry, much to Ron's disappointment. "She calmed me down a bit, got me seeing clear again, and then we… kind of… fell asleep. On a bench."

Ron sniggered. "Very classy, Harry. You know exactly how to charm witches, that's for sure."

"She didn't mind!" Harry insisted. "She _gets _me, you know? Better than Ginny ever has," he added without thinking. He didn't mean to compare Ginny to Luna… _Right? _he asked himself.

"Do you fancy her, then? I don't see why you wouldn't, if she _gets _you," he replied, mocking Harry, yet his words had underlying seriousness, and Harry could tell he was curious.

"I dunno."

"How do you 'xpect to ever know?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? Ask her to go someplace with you!"

"I'd never take her somewhere she'd enjoy - she's too-"

"Loony?"

"Unique."

"There's got to be something. Go hunting for blimpies, or plimbles, or whatever they're called."

"Freshwater plimpies?"

"I'm starting to think you really are hung up on her, mate," Ron said. "But it might be a good thing, y'know? You two are both a bit off your rockers."

"Me?" Harry sputtered. "You've had too much firewhiskey."

"No, I'm serious! You said it yourself. Not many people understand you well. And no one really understands Luna, she just doesn't say anything about it. Take my advice. Ask her out, as friends, maybe. And after a while, see if you think you can handle more," he finished with a smirk, prompting Harry to punch him on the arm.

"Think about it," Ron urged. "I'm off to bed. I'd try to convince Hermione to get some sleep, but she prolly thinks the ten-thousandth page of her proposal is more important than such worldly needs like sleeping." He patted Harry on the back and was gone. Harry crawled into his soft, springy bed, wrapped himself in a warm quilt, and drifted into a dream-filled sleep. He couldn't remember exactly what he'd dreamt about, but it was filled with gargantuan grey eyes and cascades of mint-green cloth…

The next couple of weeks passed smoothly and quickly. Harry began returning to work, where he was welcomed back with a tight hug from none other than the Minister of Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt. There weren't any very powerful or skilled dark wizards to exterminate, so Harry and Ron focused on ways to make the Ministry less corrupt than it had been in the past. The Minister took all of their suggestions to heart, and at the end of each day they felt more and more satisfied. There were some hours when Harry's mind would not wander once to Ginevra Weasley or Neville Longbottom. Ron and Hermione seemed to notice Harry's positive change in attitude and behavior, and more often than not, their nights were spent laughing and joking and talking for hours, as it had been when they were younger and carefree. The only thing that nagged Harry, in the corner of his mind, was that he hadn't seen Luna since that rainy Sunday morning. It had now been exactly two weeks later, and on Sundays especially, he urged himself to hurry up and ask Luna out. _As friends,_ he reminded himself. _Just as friends…_

As he was lying in his bed, enveloped in blankets to shield him from the ruthless cold, pondering what he should do about Luna, he noticed something flying at his bedroom window, slowly coming closer, flapping its dust-colored wings assiduously but for some reason, not travelling very far.

"Errol?" he mussitated, and indeed, it was Errol, the Weasleys' poor old owl, seemingly on its last leg but still remaining alive after so many years. Harry quickly pushed open the heavy window so Errol wouldn't crash (_and probably die_, he thought to himself).

Errol flew in and collapsed onto the ground the second Harry seized the letter from him. "Ron!" Harry called into the hallway. "Errol's collapsed!"

"_That bloody bird's back?_" Ron shouted in disbelief, sprinting into the room, seeing Errol on the ground, shaking his head, and finally seeing Harry holding the letter. "What did mum send a letter for? She usually doesn't mind showing up here, intruding on us whenever she sees fit…"

"The letter's addressed to me…" Harry noticed.

Ron's eyes became wider. "You sure you want to read that, mate?"

Harry nodded. "Go take Errol to Hermione. She'll know what to do. Aspro's gone again, so they can't go hunting together…"

His voice trailed off. Ron quickly pointed his wand at Errol, said, "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" just the way Hermione taught him, and left the room with the owl floating behind him, as he obviously didn't want to touch the mangled bird's unconscious body.

Harry quickly tore the envelope, unfolded the letter, and began to read.

_Dearest Harry,_

_I'd love to catch up over a cup of tea. As soon as you read this, would you be so kind as to come to the Burrow so we can talk? Use the Floo Network. Arthur and I are in the kitchen._

_Lots of love,_

_Molly_

Harry's stomach seemed to shake with the speedy beating of his heart. _What could she possibly want to talk about? _Harry wondered. He ran into the kitchen, where Hermione had somehow revived Errol and was feeding her, and Ron was standing about a yard away with a disgusted look on his face. He gestured to Ron and showed him the letter.

"Don't go, mate!" Ron whispered.

"Don't go where?" Hermione said, suspiciously glaring at Harry and Ron.

"Oh - don't worry about it-" Harry replied, trying to sound inconspicuous, but Hermione was never fooled.

"_Accio Harry's letter!_" she shouted, pointing her wand at Harry, before he could even realize what was going on.

"How'd you get so quick?" Ron said in awe.

"Practice," she muttered, and read the letter. A shocked expression appeared on her face in no more than two seconds. "Harry, you've got to go!"

"I knew you'd say that," Harry grumbled.

"Just go. Please? I feel bad for Molly. After all that's happened to the family in the past couple of years… You were like a son to her, and you haven't talked to her in over a month! It's not her fault Ginny cheated."

Harry felt extremely guilty and instantly knew Hermione was right. He'd have to go visit Mrs. Weasley. Now. He numbly grabbed a handful of Floo powder out of the jar next to the kitchen fireplace, tossed it in, yelled as clearly as he could, "The Burrow!" and stepped into the smaragdine flames, coughing and wheezing.

When he stumbled out of the fireplace in the Burrow, he was covered in atrous soot and coughing harder than ever. He never did like using the Floo Network as means of transportation ever since he was twelve, when he got lost in Knockturn Alley when he meant to go to Diagon Alley. He dusted himself off, patted down his constantly unruly hair, and adjusted his glasses.

"Molly, I heard something near the fireplace. He must be here," Harry heard Arthur Weasley call from the kitchen. He heard a strident noise that could only mean someone had disapparated, and within a split second, Molly Weasley was standing a few feet away from where Harry stood, still dusting himself off and trying to seem more presentable.

"Hullo, Mrs. Weasley. How've you been?" Harry asked politely, managing a slight smile.

Molly made a quiet whimpering noise and sprinted up to Harry, wrapping him in an uncomfortably tight hug. "Harry! I've missed you so much… You've lost weight… You're still so handsome, and polite, and - I'm so sorry!" Her eyes were swimming with tears. She was just as emotional as Harry remembered.

"Why are _you _sorry?" he mumbled without thinking. Ginny had never apologized for anything she had done, yet her mother was apologizing for showing so much care and affection and support to Harry since he was a little boy.

"I had no idea she would ever-"

"It's fine, Mrs. Weasley, it really is," Harry said sincerely. "We've both moved on." And then the truth hit Harry like the Whomping Willow. He _had _moved on from Ginny. He didn't want her back, like he had for tear-filled weeks after it had happened. He _despised _her. He never wanted to speak to her again. He wanted no part of her. Harry had _always_ been loyal to his friends. Loyalty. It was one thing Ginny lacked. _Yes, _Harry concluded. _I've moved on_. _But have I _gotten over_ it?_

And he realized in his head that moving on and getting over someone were two wholly different things. _Moving on_, was, like Hermione had said, closing the chapter of loving them, and finding someone else. _Getting over_ someone must mean not thinking about them as often anymore. Not hating them; just not caring about them. _I'm not quite there, _thought Harry. _But I will be. It's only a matter of time…_

"Moved on?" Mrs. Weasley said, taken aback. Harry finally realized she was still there, and refocused.

"Yeah… I thought you'd've been happy about it. Ginny's happy. I'm happy, or getting there… So what's wrong?"

"Well, we - Arthur and I, I mean - thought that you and Ginny would get back-"

"Get back _together_?" Harry spat. "She - she broke my heart! She destroyed me. I was _gone _for _weeks, _and she hasn't said so much as a 'sorry' to me!"

"She tried, Harry, dear, but you left before-"

"Before she could explain that she loved _Neville_-"

"It was a mistake-"

"She doesn't think so, parading around town with him attached to her. She's infatuated. Where is she now? Out with him, I 'spect? Well, that's just great. No offense, Mrs. Weasley, but I don't want her anymore," he finished, feeling a twinge of guilt at the look on Molly's face. It was beyond anger, beyond grief...

"You both need to calm down," Arthur Weasley said sternly. _He must have apparated in_, Harry thought. _We were both just so loud we didn't hear him…_

Harry nodded in Mr. Weasley's direction, which he thought sufficed as a greeting at the moment. "Sorry."

"Molly, I think you should go sit down in the kitchen," he said in a voice so strict and orderly and stern for Arthur Weasley. It was a voice Harry had never heard before.

Molly didn't dare argue. Harry could tell from the look on her face that she had never heard this voice before, either. She left at once.

"_Muffliato!_" Mr. Weasley whispered, pointing the wand at the door Mrs. Weasley had just exited from. The spell ensured that no one could overhear their conversation.

"Are - are you going to kill me?" Harry asked, half-joking.

Mr. Weasley laughed and shook his head. "Harry, I really love you. You've been like a son to me for years. Molly sees you as a son, too, and I think that's why she's so hung up on you marrying Ginny; so it can be official. I just wanted to tell you that I'm happy you've moved on. Ginny was - well - a blithering idiot. I'm glad that you're finally content without her. Whatever choices you make, I'll do my best to stand behind them. You're a good man. You saved my life. I haven't forgotten." And without thinking, he, too, gave Harry an uncomfortably snug, fatherly embrace.

Harry smiled. Mr. Weasley was the closest thing Harry had to a father after Sirius had died. "Thanks, Mr. Weasley," Harry responded genuinely.

"Please - call me Arthur. You're a man now," he said, chuckling. "You should go now - Ron's probably worried sick that we're torturing you. D'you need some Floo powder?"

Harry considered for a moment. His eyes landed upon the window in the room, overlooking the quiet village of Ottery St. Catchpole. Then, an idea suddenly sprouted in his head. "No, thank you, Mr. Weas- Arthur… I think I'm going to walk."

Arthur looked at Harry as though he was off his rocker. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. It's just such a nice day-"

"It's freezing!"

"The view's nice - walking would be a nice change - there's so much to see…"

"Well," said Arthur, not thoroughly convinced that Harry was thinking clearly, "be safe."

"I'm feeling lucky," Harry said, and at that moment, all the pieces fit together in his head. "I've got to go!" He quickly thanked Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and dashed out of the house and down the road. He was fairly sure that Arthur and Molly were watching him as if he were a crazy man. Harry was starting to think that he was, but he had to take this chance. He was just so sure that he'd see her-

He couldn't think clearly… He was past the Burrow… He couldn't see clearly… He ran over a hill… His ears felt numb, he couldn't bend his fingers… He was crossing through the outskirts of the forest… His breath was a cloud… He wasn't running anywhere in particularly, really. His feet were ahead of his mind. He was following them, hoping they'd take him to the person he needed to see. He was overcome with a random surge of confidence. He was panting and his heart was thudding, threatening to pop out of his chest… He wasn't sure if it was all from the running or from the possibility that he might see-

_THUD._

Harry flew back, his spectacles flying off of his face. After what his rushing adrenaline made him think was an eternity in the brisk autumn air, he landed on his back in a small forest clearing, where chartreuse-colored grass grew sparsely in clumps. The ground was damp and muddy, and he realized he was near a pond. His vision was foggy and blurred, not only because of his glasses being knocked off, but because he was still seeing stars. There was a dull pain in his left-hand thumb - he had landed on it oddly. He struggled to get onto his feet, his jeans weighed down by the moist muck stuck to them.

A pallid arm was outstretched in front of Harry. Before he could think clearly, he held it, and it hoisted him back on his shaking feet.

"_Episkey,_" a calm, dreamy voice said quietly, and Harry felt his thumb tingling, getting very hot and then extremely cold, and finally it was healed.

"_Acc - Acci,_" Harry tried to say, but his head was still spinning.

"_Accio Harry Potter's glasses,_" the voice said, and within a few seconds, Harry felt someone placing his mangled glasses back on his head.

"_Reparo,_" the girl said.

Harry's vision zoomed into focus, his whirling head finally coming to a halt.

Luna Lovegood was standing no more than a foot away from Harry.

"Luna?" Harry uttered in disbelief. It was who he wanted to see, but he didn't want it to be like _this._

"Shhh. You're just a bit disoriented. I didn't know who was coming, so I cast a powerful shield charm, and you ran right into it…"

"At least you're okay," Harry said, and he meant it.

"I was fishing for-"

"Freshwater plimpies," he finished for her.

"They're not biting very well today…"

Harry's legs gave out and he collapsed. Luna frowned.

"Come to my house," she demanded. Harry knew firsthand how firm and unyielding she could be when she was concerned for the safety of a friend, or when she wanted to help. "It's right around the bend… Daddy says you've visited before…"

She wrapped her arm around him and he was able to limp his way to the Lovegoods' home. When they arrived at the rook-shaped stone house, it brought back memories of when Xenophilius Lovegood set him up to be captured by Death Eaters… Harry held no ill will towards him, however. Mr. Lovegood was simply very desperate; they had captured Luna and were holding her hostage at Malfoy Manor.

"Daddy!" she called as they entered the house and sat Harry down in a comfortable, weirdly bright purple couch.

"Yes, Luna, what is it? Did you catch any plimpies?" came a man's voice from upstairs.

"No, I'm afraid not, I think an Umgubular Slashkilter got to them before us-"

"Such a shame. I was looking forward to making soup for dinner…"

"Daddy, Harry Potter's here."

Harry heard the noise of something exceptionally large being dropped, and Harry laughed.

"Wh-what d-does he want with us?" Xenophilius stammered, cautiously descending from the staircase.

"He's hurt! He ran into my shield charm!"

Xenophilius came down the steps and finally showed himself. His white-blonde hair had gotten longer, and he no longer looked tired and broken, as he had the last time Harry saw him. He was wearing purple robes so bright that they outshone the tacky sofa. "Harry… Nice to see you again."

Harry nodded in his direction.

"Could you help him, Daddy? He's shaking," Luna said, looking upset.

"Ah, that's just the shock of hitting a shield. Nothing that shouldn't be bettered by a nice cup of afternoon tea. I'll bring it out soon. We've got some nice herbs from Greece," he said quickly, dashing out of the room.

"He's sorry, you know," Luna told Harry after a while.

"I know. I'm not mad at him, really," Harry responded, trying to cover his quavering voice. "He must not be as good as you at reading people."

"I don't read all people so well - just you, mostly…"

Harry was flattered. "I don't understand people at all, 'specially witches," he laughed. "But you aren't like other witches. You - you can't be classified."

"Some would say that's a bad thing… Most people don't seem to take me seriously," she responded in her singsong voice, but Harry heard it droop towards the end of what she said; he pictured her voice as a beautiful flower.

"I take you seriously. You're wonderful," he said without thinking.

"That's nice," she smiled, and Harry pictured the flower blooming. He heard Xenophilius pouring tea into mugs, and he realized that this was his chance.

"Luna, I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere - with me, y'know, maybe on Halloween?"

"That sounds exciting," she replied. Harry began to question whether she was listening - her voice always made her sound a million miles away. "Where?" she added, and Harry regained confidence that she actually did think it sounded exciting. An idea hatched in his mind.

"I was thinking that we could throw a Dumbledore's Army reunion Halloween party. It would be a real reunion this time. No interruptions. More people invited. What do you think?"

"I think it's a splendid idea. I need to start thinking of a costume! We've barely more than a week!"

"I'll send out invitations. Let's have it at the Three Broomsticks, in one of the private rooms. All the butterbeer and firewhiskey on me. How does seven o'clock sound?" Harry was getting more excited by the second.

"I'll be there," she said excitedly.

"Well - about that…" Harry began cautiously. "It's a party. So, I was wondering if you'd want to go with me. Just as friends, of course," he added in quickly.

"Of course! It'll be the second time I go to a party with you as just friends! I'm excited!" she answered.

Harry was grinning from ear to ear when Xenophilius, eyeing Harry warily, came back with the Greek tea. Harry drank the savory tea one gulp, anxious to go tell Ron and Hermione the news. He thanked the Lovegoods and said his goodbyes, then apparated with a crack, feeling better than he had all day.

"You don't mean to tell me that she knocked you out?" Ron asked, laughing hysterically. "Nice one, mate. You've always been great with girls."

"Oh, shut up, Ron! This is great for Harry!" Hermione cut in. "Of course we'll be at the party. I've got to get Ron a new pair of dress robes…"

"I'll go as long as you stick to your promise of paying for all of the firewhiskey and butterbeer a man can drink," Ron said. Harry rolled his eyes. It was no secret that his parents left him more money than he could spend in a lifetime. "Hey, I'm happy for you," Ron said seriously. "Maybe mum'll finally shut up about you and Ginny. I've got to remember to thank Dad." Harry nodded and laughed, and they went to sleep - it took merely seconds for Harry to fall into a deep slumber after such a day.

Harry spent the next week seemingly more with Luna than with Ron and Hermione. Not only did he feel this gave them some privacy, as he despised feeling like an intruder, but he got to know more about Luna minute by minute, day by day. They were closer friends than they had ever been, and Harry found himself thinking about Ginny and Neville less each passing day, much to his enjoyment.

On Tuesday, Luna showed him around the forest, pointing out odd little creatures he never knew existed, or never paid attention to. They took a rest near the calm, clear brook where Luna would fish, and she showed him the different fish that passed by and which ones made good soup and which ones had useful blood or venom and which ones were the smartest. The cerulean sky seemed to reflect onto Luna's eyes, and they looked cesious when she gazed upwards, describing the different shapes of the clouds and predicting the weather that was to come.

On Wednesday, she was describing her expeditions to Sweden with her father; they often went looking for Crumple Horned Snorkacks, but had not found one yet. "It's just a matter of time… We got really close on our last trip, I could feel it…"

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Harry sat in Luna's room and watched her create her costume - she was going as Rowena Ravenclaw. They didn't have to talk the whole time; he just enjoyed watching her work sometimes, waving her wand and watching the dress come together, seeing her shining grey eyes focus, her lips pursed in concentration. One thing he liked about Luna was that she didn't have to be blabbing all the time. Unspoken communication was becoming regular among Harry and Luna. She knew what he meant simply from the look on his face. There was no lying, deceit, or trickery; even if he wanted to, he couldn't. _She's simply too brilliant_, he thought when his mind wandered to the subject. _I wonder if she knows I… _But he forced himself to stop there. Did he really fancy her? He wasn't sure himself. Was he supposed to wait until he completely got over Ginny to fancy someone else? He wasn't sure. He made a mental note to ask Hermione later. After all, he did feel a twinge of pure hatred when he thought of her, and once when he thought of Neville, even jealousy. _What does he have that I don't? Why is he better than me? Why could he get Ginny and Luna, while the first broke my heart and the latter probably will when she rejects me? But I have to fancy her for her to reject me… We're just friends! _He forced his mind to shut up, thinking that Luna would read his mind and thoughts by just looking at him. He'd never seen Luna be truly mean to anyone before, making the fact that she could possibly turn him down bother him infinite times more - would he be the first person Luna Lovegood was ever mean to? After a few minutes of deliberation, like this on Saturday night, he looked up and realized Luna had finished the dress.

She had fashioned radiant midnight blue satin into a beautiful, ruffled, billowing gown dusted with what looked like diamonds. "It's stunning," Harry said in awe and admiration.

"Of course, I have the diadem to complete the look. Not the real one; you destroyed that. But now I know what it really looks like. So Daddy helped me make this one last night," she said, holding out a gorgeous, majestic silver circlet with huge sapphires in the center and diamonds encrusted on the sides. "If you look really closely, it says, 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure' on the bottom," she said softly, her faraway voice full of wonder and pride.

Harry had always been convinced that Luna was more of a Gryffindor than a Ravenclaw. She was unbelievably brave and daring, and extremely loyal and fiercely protective of her friends, albeit she didn't have many. However, she was capable of seeing what most could not, and discovering and analyzing what others would usually miss, which was probably why she was a Ravenclaw. Harry mused about where Luna would fit better for a while, until she finally said, "My mother was a Gryffindor. My father was a Ravenclaw. The Sorting Hat seriously considered Gryffindor, but finally decided I'd learn more as a Ravenclaw. It's a bit odd that the exact opposite happened to Hermione, don't you think, since we're like exact opposites? The Sorting Hat considered both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, but decided on Gryffindor because it believed she would do better in that house. It's funny, isn't it, how a hat can always be right?"

"It wanted to put me in Slytherin. I asked it not to, so it didn't. It takes our choices into consideration if it really means a lot to you. I wonder what I'd be like in Slytherin…"

"Voldemort very well might be alive right now. You'd make an awful Slytherin anyways. You're too… bold and chivalrous. You're the quintessential Gryffindor."

"Thanks, Luna," Harry said happily.

"It's just the truth," she responded in her distinct voice - it constantly made her sound like she was only slightly interested, which put Harry on edge but also rather excited him. She was different than all the other witches who liked Harry and seemed to hang on his every word. He liked it. He pictured a beautiful flower again, soaking up sunlight in its own world, deaf to what others thought. That night, Harry went home flabbergasted, as he always had after spending time with Luna, and received multiple punches from Ron to bring him back into reality, which seemed almost dull without Luna Lovegood.

Finally, it was Halloween, and myriads of witches and wizards filled Hogsmeade, which was apparently the place to go on All Hallow's Eve. The Three Broomsticks was overcrowded, and people spilling out of the front door; pitchers of drink were constantly shattering due to the pushing, shoving, and spell-casting. Decorations included Jack-O-Lanterns bigger than Hermione, skeletons that danced, and tiny toy broomsticks floating around the room, dropping candy on unwary partygoers. When Harry, Luna, Ron, and Hermione finally reached their private party room, Harry gazed around, astounded at how everyone had changed so much in a few years - he also thought it interesting to see who ended up with who, and noted that most couples were from the same house.

Among the present were, of course, Harry in tasteful, modern, sable dress robes, with Luna in her Rowena Ravenclaw costume, outshining every other witch in the room who eyed her with jealousy, Ron with Hermione, both not in costume but in matching black and orange dress robes (much to Ron's disgust), Angelina with George, who had wrapped his head with bandages and seemingly had an arrow in his head (where his missing ear was), Alicia Spinnet with Lee Jordan, Dean Thomas with Katie Bell, Seamus Finnigan with Lavender Brown, Dennis Creevey, who was taking pictures of unsuspecting witches and wizards, Romilda Vane, alone and eyeing Harry hungrily, Parvati and Padma Patil, still attached at the hip, with Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein, respectively, Cho Chang with Michael Corner, Ernie Macmillan with Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchley and Susan Bones.

They took a few minutes to catch up with everyone; Harry endured an awkward conversation with Cho, but couldn't bring himself to speak to Romilda Vane out of fear she'd spike his drink with love potion, and Ron and Hermione ignored Lavender whilst greeting Seamus. Ron and Harry also avoided having a drawn-out conversation with the Patil twins by coming up with the excuse that they were just on their way to get Hermione and Luna drinks, while the fact of the matter was that Ron had already gotten Hermione butterbeer, which was fairly obvious since she was merely a few yards away, and Luna didn't believe in drinking butterbeer or firewhiskey out of fear that the smell of either drink would attract certain obscure magical creatures Harry had never heard of and couldn't remember the names of.

Then, Harry's eyes passed over a couple in the corner of the room, and his mouth dropped open in bewilderment, so much so that he was surprised he didn't feel his jaw hit the floor.

Neville and Ginny were in the corner, his arm around her waist, whispering into each other's ears, laughing, giggling, drinking, and snogging.

His heart filled with instant animosity. _They weren't even invited. What are they doing here? Are they purposely trying to make my life miserable? _he thought, disgusted.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, seeing his expression. Luna took a glance at him and instantly knew.

"Hermione," she whispered. "You might want to look over there, in the right corner…"

"Where? I can't see, Lee's head is blocking - WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?" Hermione screamed, spitting out butterbeer, and Ron's face distorting into a mixture of irritation and disbelief. "_We sent out invitations,_" Hermione hissed.

"How many hints did we have to give those prats the last time they crashed a get-together?" Ron groaned, downing his second bottle of firewhiskey.

A few of the guests turned and looked, and Harry saw George slipping away from Angelina after a quick kiss and rushing towards Ginny.

"Luna, what should I-" he began to ask, but noticed that Luna was already gone. All he saw was a wave of sparkling midnight-blue fabric and locks of wavy blonde hair bouncing quickly towards the right corner of the room. "'Luna - don't-"

Before Harry knew what was going on, there was a rift in the crowd - they had stepped aside as Luna pulled her wand, pointing it directly at Ginny, who wore a look of utter disbelief.

"Luna?" Ginny said, inhaling sharply. "After all these years? I thought we were friends!"

"I thought you loved Harry as much as he loved you. You broke his heart without a second thought and never apologized. That wasn't very nice," Luna said seriously. The last time Harry heard her speak like this was when Hermione inadvertently insulted Luna's father and his magazine, but Luna seemed even angrier now. Harry realized he had lived to see the day where Luna was truly angered. She was a great fighter when she wasn't mad - Harry wondered how she'd fight now.

Before Ginny could say anything more, Neville walked next to her and pulled out his wand, pointing it at Luna. Ginny copied him, and Harry instinctively responded by pulling his wand on Neville, his temper roaring. Sparks seemed to fly out of his wand before he could think of a spell - anger clouded his judgment. "No one hurts Luna," spat Harry. Neville sneered at him and Ginny shot a hex from her wand that was easily blocked by Luna's silently conjured shield.

Then, the crowd gasped, as if it were some sort of show, when the unthinkable happened - George and Ron pulled out their wands and pointed them at Ginny and Neville. George had become closer to Luna since the Battle of Hogwarts, and Ron had been friends with her since his fifth year. Still, it shocked Harry that they wouldn't protect their own sister, even if they were upset with her, but he was grateful. Hermione quickly followed suit, pulling her wand on her sister-in-law after a moment of hesitancy. Harry could tell that she wanted to keep the peace for as long as possible, but tempers were rising.

"You'd think after You-Know-Who was killed, there'd be some peace for Harry," Lee shouted. "God knows he deserves it, after what he's been through. Ginny, Longbottom - just leave."

"Yeah, don't be such a git, Neville," Terry Boot cut in.

"Let Harry enjoy his date with Loony - er - Luna," Cho remarked loudly, much to Harry's surprise. He glanced in her direction and their eyes met for an awkward moment.

"Get out, why don'tcha, and stop standing there, you complete arse, Longbottom. And take your scrubber of a girlfriend with you," Seamus yelled. Everyone gasped in shock at his foul language and blunt rudeness except for Lavender, who giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

"That's it!" Neville roared, and before anyone could realize what was happening, jets of various colors were shooting from wands - first just Seamus' to protect himself from Neville's curse and blow him back into a wall, then from Ginny's to Lavender, who ducked quickly and shot one back that missed, then Luna at Ginny to catch her off guard, which worked quite well, as she went flying right into Neville and they both collapsed onto the floor. As they got back up, Ginny shot a series of spells at both Seamus and Luna, one narrowly missing her head, and one hitting Seamus and knocking him unconscious. Lavender screamed, and Harry quickly revived Seamus.

George had met up with Angelina again and put a shield around her. "I can't let you get hurt! Disapparate! Now!" he ordered, and she obeyed without arguing. Harry hardly ever heard George so serious. Ron and Hermione were now blocking curses from Neville and ordering people to evacuate, and amongst all the screaming and tears and shattering and _cracks _from people disapparating, and chunks of Jack-O-Lantern and stray bones littering the floor, Luna hit Neville squarely in the chest with a spell so strong it blasted him into the next room, destroying the wall.

"That felt good," she said quietly to herself, and Harry was sure he'd only heard because he was watching her carefully, never moving more than a few feet away. Harry's eyes landed on Ginny, who had been watching Luna stun Neville.

Harry could not believe the words Ginny muttered next.

"_Crucio!_" she shrieked over the commotion of collapsing wood and screaming witches and wizards. A beam of sanguineous light shot from her wand, and without thinking, Harry lunged for Luna, held her tightly around the waist, launched both of them to the side so that they missed the Cruciatus Curse by a hair, and fell to the ground. From the corner of his eye, Harry could see a revived Neville looking at Ginny, shocked… Then, Ginny aimed her wand at Luna once more and Harry realized that they needed to disapparate. He wasn't sure where they were headed - they just needed to get out. And then Harry and Luna were once more forced through the uncomfortable process of disapparating, and landed with a _thud_ on what seemed like smooth, hard rock, and Harry felt as though his head had split open…

When Harry came to, Luna was, once again, already up. She hadn't hit her head, as she was on top of Harry, but she looked worried.

"Don't try getting up," Luna insisted just as Harry tried standing up. A sharp, stabbing pain engulfed his entire head and neck. "You hit your head hard… Thank you for saving me. That was nice. Can you speak? I'd like to talk to you. Dark cemeteries do tend to scare me a bit…"

"Wh-where are we?" Harry stammered. "I - sorry. Disapparated. First place I could think of, I s'pose-"

"It's okay… I'm thankful you saved me, and sorry you hurt your head. The Wrackspurts are relentless with you, Harry… I don't think the head injury is serious, but I'm not sure what I can do to help, unfortunately… Is it okay if I ask you why you were thinking about your parents' grave?"

"Is that where we landed? Why is it stone? They just have - tombstone…" He was out of breath after only a couple of sentences.

"You were close… You got a grave very close to theirs. Your parents' grave only has a tombstone, but this grave has a slab of stone on the ground with different Bible verses carved into them. They're really quite interesting, but I prefer your parents'. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. There's many ways to interpret that…"

"Neville's parents - insane - Cruciatus curse."

Luna nodded somberly. "That's really very sad. I'd prefer death over being insane…"

Harry almost laughed - nearly everyone already thought that Luna and her father were insane. "It wasn't right for Ginny to use it," he mustered, breathing heavily.

"Is that why you came here? Seeing Ginny try to do to me what Voldemort had ordered be done to Neville's parents made you think of who else Voldemort had killed. Naturally, your parents would come into your head," Luna said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Harry nodded. She understood completely. Harry paused just to take in her presence. Her skin glowed brightly under the stars, outshining all of them combined, in Harry's opinion. Her dress was a bit tattered and stained from the brawl at the Three Broomsticks, but her flawless beauty easily made up for it. She never had to wear any make-up like other girls did. When girls spent hours doing their hair, Luna wore hers without styling it, letting it cascade naturally down past her waist. He never really paid much attention to the features of her face - her slightly upturned nose, faint but perfectly arched eyebrows, the way her jaw line curved into her slightly dimpled chin. Her extraordinarily large, grey eyes seemed to be metallic silver in the moonlight, and Harry's mind came across an odd thought. _Her eyes are like the sword of Godric Gryffindor… They only take in that which makes them stronger… Except, instead of stronger, maybe more enchantingly beautiful… _He couldn't bear to move his eyes away from hers, and he hated that he had to blink - to take his eyes, for a minute, off of Luna, who seemed to get more stunningly attractive by the second in Harry's eyes -

"You look," Harry began, taking a pause to breathe, his head throbbing, "beautiful." He wasn't sure if his brain was swelling so much he had the inability to hold it in, or he was demented into having the type of confidence he'd have under Felix Felicis. Either way, he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, and they shut. It felt to Harry as though it would be easier to lift Hagrid with his own bare hands than re-open his eyes. He tried to relax, but between the heavy, speedy beating in his heart and the throbbing in his head, he realized that would not be possible.

"Thank you for taking me with you, Harry," Luna replied, and Harry could almost feel her vibrant smile. "But next time we go to a party," she continued, "would you mind not asking me as just a friend?"

Harry was finding it difficult to process the words, but his heart sped up, and joy began blooming inside of him; true bliss. _Did I really hear that? Am I hallucinating? _

He wished he could open his eyes. He wanted so badly to see her.

He wanted so badly to just gaze upon her once more - or perhaps a million times more-

And before Harry was entirely sure what was happening, he felt something soft press gently against his lips, and he felt his stomach explode with butterflies.

_It can't be, _he thought to himself. _I'm dreaming. I should really go to St. Mungo's about this head injury…_

He felt the lips float away from his. _See? You're waking up._

"Just in case you weren't sure," an unmistakably dreamy voice whispered, "here's another hint."

Before he could bring himself back to earth after what seemed like eons in heaven and ask what was going on, or muster the strength to open his eyes and see for himself, he sensed Luna's lips once more touching his, and he felt her eyelashes brush his face, and their cheeks seemed to exchange warmth, and he never wanted to part from her. Harry was filled with a burning desire to stand up and hold her tightly and simply protect her from everything harmful in the world, and to call her his own, and for the first time in a long time, he didn't not give a beetle's eye about Ginevra Weasley and felt as though he would give his life for Luna Lovegood.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four - Promises

When Luna slowly pulled away from Harry once more, he felt the pain in his head subside; it was now just a dull prickle on the back of his head and neck. He propped himself up slowly into a sitting position. He gradually opened his eyes and saw Luna offering him a hand. He clasped his around hers and managed to stand up. _Luna's a lot stronger than she looks_, observed Harry. They stared at each other in blissful silence for a while, and Harry didn't bother removing his hand from hers. Harry couldn't be sure how long - he lost all concept of time and space when focusing on a person, no, a _being_, as beautiful as she.

"Your friends will be worried about you. You should go home," Luna said. "You need some rest. Wrackspurts should leave overnight."

"Let me take you home. Your dad's probably worried you've gotten abducted by Nargles or something-"

"Those are usually found in mistletoe, so if I were to go missing during the holiday season, Nargles would be a good suspect," Luna replied seriously.

"You should wear your radish earrings and butterbeer cork necklace. You told me once they kept Nargles away," he added as a surprised look appeared on her face.

"I never thought anyone really listened-"

"I did. I do," said Harry honestly. "Now let's apparate to your house. Together," he insisted.

"I'm not a doll…" She frowned.

"You're the toughest girl I know."

She extended her hand, and he took it. The process of apparition felt even more painful this time - he felt as though his head had swollen and was being squeezed through a tiny, inflexible tube. Within seconds, they had arrived in front of the rook-like house that belonged to the Lovegood family, surrounded by gardens and the trademark sign, "KEEP OFF THE DIRIGIBLE PLUMS."

"You don't have to walk me inside, you know," she whispered as they walked to the door, but Harry could almost feel her smile in the darkness.

"I want to," he said persistently. "You're my-"

He stopped to think, unsure of what to say. Was she his girlfriend now? _It was just a bit of kissing, _a little voice inside his head told him. _She doesn't want to be your girlfriend._

_ But she's not just my friend, either! _Harry argued with himself. _She's just-_

"-Luna. You're my Luna, and I really care about you," he said, and embraced her. He felt oddly protective of her and unwilling to let her go, especially after tonight, when she was almost _tortured_… She was strong, but so was Ginny, and Ginny, Harry realized, wouldn't hesitate to torture someone if it was in the heat of the moment. And that was the difference between Luna and Ginny - Luna always thought, always cared, and made an effort to be kind. He pulled her closer.

They held each other tightly, glowing against the nigricant sky, for what felt to Harry like hours-

"_Ahem_," someone coughed loudly.

Harry and Luna jumped apart quickly, seeing Xenophilius Lovegood standing in the doorway, a few feet away, in obnoxiously peacock-blue robes. His arms were crossed and Harry thought he could see a smirk on his face.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your - ah - goodbye, Harry, but it really is quite late. I was a bit worried about my Luna…" Xenophilius was dragging each word on to make the sentence longer - he seemed to enjoy the deep shade of scarlet Harry's face had become. Even Luna's cheeks were tinged with a bright, rosy shade of pink.

It took a few moments before Harry could compose himself and begin to speak - he was mortified. He knew Xenophilius didn't _dislike _him - he was the one who urged everyone that their top priority during the Second Wizarding War was to help Harry, and that he had been telling the truth all along - but they were on uneasy terms with each other since Xenophilius had attempted to hand Harry over to the Death Eaters in exchange for his daughter. _Well, _thought Harry, _he probably dislikes me now._

"I'm sorry, sir-"

"You do realize it's nearly two o'clock in the morning? All the horrible beasts that come out… Especially when November begins! The Nargles can sense holiday season coming! You two are lucky you're alive!" Xenophilius exclaimed.

"I - er - was unconscious for a bit, lost track of time…" The words spilled uncontrollably from Harry's mouth.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. It won't happen again," Luna interjected, seeing the expression on Xenophilius' face.

"I'm holding you two to your words! I think it's best you left - Luna and I - private conversation!" he yelled, pulling Luna inside and slamming the door in Harry's face.

_That went well, _Harry thought to himself sarcastically, punching the wooden door in frustration and quickly apparating to Ron and Hermione's cottage before, Harry feared, Xenophilius and Luna would come outside, thinking that the noise was from some obscure magical creature.

When he arrived at Ron and Hermione's cottage and banged on the door until they answered, anxious to escape the frosty November morning and seek refuge in his warm bed. The sky had turned almost orangey now, covering everything in an eerie glow. Harry's head felt heavier by the second.

After what seemed like forever, the door swung open and Hermione stood there, looking extremely relieved to see Harry.

"Harry! I'm so glad you're safe. I was worried sick! I fell asleep at the table waiting-" she said, sounding extremely exhausted. There were dark circles under her usually shining brown eyes, and her hair was knotted and frizzy. "Ron's asleep, you know him…"

"I'm sorry I kept you up. You need to sleep! But-"

"There's so much I need to tell you," they said in unison.

"In the morning?" Harry yawned.

"In the morning," Hermione yawned back in agreement, and they both went to sleep the second they hit their pillows.

This was the second time Harry's dreams had the markedly dotty sensation of Luna Lovegood's presence.

The morning came much too soon for Harry's liking. It felt as though he had merely blinked before bright rays of buttery sunshine filled the room to the brim and Harry couldn't help but open his eyes. His head ached a bit, and it took him a few moments to compose his thoughts. As he remembered how the events of the night before unfolded, his expression changed from a horrified scowl (_I can't believe Ginny would do that!_) to a grimace of pain (_So that's why my head hurts…_) to an ear-to-ear grin complete with burning, blushing cheeks (_So she really did kiss me - that wasn't a dream?_) to a sheepish smile (_That was a great first impression I left on her father, that was…_) and lastly-

"Hermione had to tell me something…" he murmured to himself. Forcing himself to get up, he silently summoned his glasses to him so he could at least see clearer than he could think, threw on some clothes, washed the dirt and grime from last night off of himself (_I smelled like that in front of Luna and her father?_) and went into the kitchen.

Hermione, as expected, was sitting at the kitchen table next to Ron, who was stuffing his face with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Harry sat down, still fatigued from the previous night, and Hermione pushed a plate with mounds of food on it in front of Harry.

"'Lo!" Ron managed to greet Harry in between inhaling mouthfuls of Hermione's mouthwatering cooking.

"What happened to your head, Harry? It's a bit swollen in the back. I didn't notice last night…"

"It's - kind of a long story," Harry said, unable to contain his grin, shoveling eggs and bacon into his mouth..

"You said you'd tell me in the morning!" Hermione insisted while waving her wand in Harry's direction to, Harry assumed, heal his head, as he felt the pain decrease greatly when she finished her silent incantation.

"I really dunno where to begin-"

"When you 'n' Loony left the party!" Ron cut in, still chewing.

"Take a hint from Harry and wait until you're done chewing to speak, will you, Ron?" Hermione said, giggling. "You can barely classify the events that occurred last night as a _party _in my opinion - it was more like a battle…"

"I apparated onto this grave right near my parents' in Godric's Hollow, don't ask why, and I landed flat on my head onto a slab of marble - apparating's never really been my thing!" he claimed, seeing Ron laugh, bits of food sprinkling the table. "Well, I went unconscious for a bit-"

Ron finally finished eating, his plate practically licked clean. "For a bit? You two were gone for hours…"

"Shut up!" Harry laughed, and continued, poking at his scrambled eggs with a fork, suddenly not very interested in his food, "Well, when I woke up, we talked for a bit, and then - er -"

"You two snogged, didn't you? You and Loony! I knew it!" Ron yelled, patting Harry on the back. Harry knew that Ron called Luna "Loony" affectionately, but in the back of his mind, he wondered if Luna would be upset by it.

"It wasn't like that! My mouth wasn't hanging open with my tongue sticking out-"

"Too much information, Harry. Just a bit," Hermione groaned.

"All I'm saying is that it was just really calm, and gentle-"

He was interrupted as Ron bursted into a fit of laughter, and Hermione joined in. Eventually, Harry did, too.

"I like it better that way!" Harry added, shamelessly and honestly. While most men Harry knew preferred doing everything so _quickly, _for lack of a better word, Harry thought it was that same passion that made Ginny so restless in relationships. This was just another thing on the steadily growing list of why Harry was getting steadily surer that Luna was perfect for him and that Ginny was a mistake he would rather forget. Seeing her actions the night before just cemented how immature she was, in Harry's mind.

"Is she your girlfriend, then?" Hermione inquired seriously.

"I've no clue!" Harry said, exasperated. "How do I know?"

"Did you ask her?"

"Ask her if she's my girlfriend? Almost-"

"No, Harry! You're brilliant as a person, but absolutely _daft_ when it comes to females… Almost as bad as Ron-"

"Hey! I married you, didn't I?" Ron interrupted, winking.

"Well, yes, but - you were lucky," Hermione joked. "Harry, just ask her if she _wants_ to be your girlfriend! She won't say no, after snogging-"

"_Kissing!_"

"_-kissing _you like that."

"She's so different, though, I never know what to expect with her…" Harry said. He wondered to himself, _What do you really know about her? _

_ I know a lot! _he insisted to himself. _I'm just trying to make me doubt myself… Or am I?_

"Love's about taking chances, mate," Ron said. "Seize the opportunity!"

"Since when were you my life coach?" Harry muttered. "Anyway, I haven't told you about what happened with Xenophilius…" He filled them in, and they laughed for minutes on end.

"Smooth," snorted Ron in between bouts of hysterical laughter. "You've always been so smooth…"

"You can't possibly hope to marry Luna if you don't get along with her father!" Hermione said, sounding concerned. "You've got to win him over - _without _magic!" she added, seeing the familiar look in Harry's eyes when he figured out an easy way to solve a problem. However, it was usually illegal, improbable, or impossible.

"Marry her?" sputtered Harry. "Who says I'm going to _marry _her?"

"Well, there's really only one reason you'd date a girl for-"

"To propose? Look how well that ended last time…"

"Luna's completely different than Ginny!"

"Let's not even talk about that now. I've got months, _years, _until I'm allowing myself to worry about that," Harry said adamantly.

"Speaking of Ginny," Ron said slowly. "About last night…"

"I almost forgot… The Cruciatus Curse… Is she going to Azkaban? Or on trial in front of the Wizengamot first?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Er… Harry… I dunno how to say this, mate-"

"Go on, spit it out!" Harry said apprehensively. He didn't know if he would be happy about the news of Ginny being sent away or upset - he wouldn't force the Dementor's Kiss upon her, no matter how much he disliked her.

"Ginny's not getting into any trouble!" The words spilled out of Hermione's mouth, as if she had been rushing to get them out.

Harry spat out the orange juice he'd been drinking.

"_What? _She tried to torture Luna! There were at least five witnesses! I know mostly everyone was panicking so they might've not seen, but there was you, me, Ron, Luna, and Longbottom! They need to take her wand! Trace the last spells performed on it!"

"She's probably covered it up with a bunch of other spells by now, Harry, but that's not the point," Ron said, trying to cover up the obvious relief in his voice. Harry knew Ron didn't want Ginny to go to Azkaban, and he couldn't blame him. "She wasn't using her wand-"

"Her wand is black," Hermione explained. "The one she was using was made of cherry."

"Neville's wand is made of cherry! D'you think she used the Cruciatus Curse on Luna from Neville's wand?" Harry speculated.

"That would be absolutely repulsive, seeing as his parents went insane from that curse!"

"I still don't understand why she isn't getting in trouble!" Harry said angrily. "There were witnesses!"

"Who would believe you and Luna, though? Everyone knows Ginny cheated on you and that Luna was your date - maybe you just wanted to get her in trouble!"

"What about you and Ron?"

"I'm her sister, Harry, I can't just get her sent to Azkaban," Ron said, sounding more sad than angry.

"I - I understand," Harry admitted. "I s'pose I don't want her sent there either… I just want her to get some sort of payback for nearly torturing my gir- I mean, our friend."

"I agree with Harry," Hermione said firmly. "I don't want her to go to Azkaban, but she can't just go around casting unforgivable curses. Ron, don't look at me like that! You know what she did was wrong! But Harry, you must remember that what goes around comes around… What do you imagine Neville must think after he saw Ginny do the Cruciatus Curse? They can't just let that slide; Neville'll be angry, to say the least."

"He can only hurt her if she really cares about him," Harry grumbled. "She hasn't seemed to really care about the people she dates. She broke up with Michael Corner because he was a loser and Dean because he tried to help her through the portrait into the common room - real solid reasons for ending a relationship…"

"You need to stop thinking about her," Hermione said in a concerned voice. "Do you still hate her with the passion necessary to cast an Unforgiveable?"

Harry thought for a moment. "She obviously hates Luna with that sort of fervor-"

"She was jealous because Luna was a better fighter, Harry-"

"I hate what she's done. A lot of what she's done. But I think we could be civil towards each other with a bit of effort. We're alike in a lot of ways, or at least, we were."

"Maybe that's why she cheated on you. Nothing that you were doing wrong, just that you two weren't compatible…"

"She could've told me before getting with Longbottom," Harry said crossly.

"I'm not saying she didn't make a horrible, foolish mistake. Any witch would be lucky to have you, honest!" Hermione comforted Harry.

"Sorry… I get a little short-tempered when I think of her…"

"It's not as bad as before," Hermione replied.

"You were short-tempered to begin with," Ron joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Now, go ask Loony on a date. It's nearly noon. There's still room for snogging. Seize the day!"

Harry and Hermione groaned in unison.

"I'll go stop by her house. Maybe I can make a better impression on Xeno-"

"Let me fix your hair first," Hermione begged.

"It doesn't ever stay flat. I thought you'd've picked up on that after nearly a decade," Harry responded as Hermione was smacking Harry's head, attempting to get his tufts of jet-black hair to rest, but her attempts were in vain.

"It was worth a try," Hermione muttered. She didn't like the feeling of failing at something. _Failure is her boggart_, remembered Harry. _I wonder what Luna's is_.

"Bye, then. You two have a nice day," Harry said as Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione.

Harry apparated to Luna's home, getting more accustomed to the uncomfortable squeezing sensation. He made sure to keep off the dirigible plums, which he didn't exactly understand since they appeared to be floating, and knocked on the door, suddenly awfully nervous. _What if she's busy? I should've sent an owl… What if she tells me that last night was all a mistake? _Harry wondered fretfully. On top of that, he couldn't get the dull but definitely present feeling of anger towards Ginny for nearly torturing Luna and getting away with it, scot-free.

"What are you so upset about, Harry?"

Harry immediately looked up, surprised. He hadn't noticed that the door was opened and Luna was standing there, looking tired but still very pretty, in Harry's opinion. She was wearing purple drainpipe jeans that accentuated her thin figure, and a royal blue knit sweater with purple and red flowers embroidered across the collarbone area. Harry immediately recognized her outfit as the one she had worn during the Battle of Hogwarts. Her long, flaxen hair was in a waist-length plait, and her stone-grey eyes did not once flinch from Harry's.

"It's no-" he began, unwilling to burden Luna with the information about Ginny he'd recently discovered, nor did we want her to know how jittery he was just to be in her presence, or how much he wanted to speak to her, to get to know her better than anyone.

"It's not nothing," she replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "What is it?"

Unable to lie to her, he told her everything Ron and Hermione told him about Ginny, and his own suspicions about the wand she used.

"I expected that," she said softly, sorrowfully. "It was his wand…"

"Should we tell the Ministry?"

"They couldn't prove anything-"

"Don't you want to try? She tried to _torture _you!"

"She wasn't herself; I could tell. Perhaps one too many glasses of firewhiskey… I'm unsure. No one was hurt, really, except for you hitting your head on the marble. Of course we could ask, but who would believe us? I don't want her getting hurt-"

"She tried to hurt you without hesitating," Harry reminded her.

"That doesn't mean we should hurt her back. Let her get hurt by herself. She will," Luna said, sounding absolutely positive.

Harry thought about continuing to argue, but then decided that he should let Luna make her own choices. The curse was meant for her, after all.

"You're right," Harry agreed after a moment's hesitation.

"Thank you for letting me decide for myself. Not many people let me do that," she said, her voice tinged with bitterness. Harry rarely heard her this way. He realized that her dad must be overly protective of her since she was the only child Xenophilius had.

"I'll always let you decide," Harry vowed.

"That's nice of you," replied Luna, her voice back to normal - if you could call her far-away voice "normal," that is. "Come inside. It's cold, and Daddy made more Greek tea!"

"So - he doesn't hate me?" Harry attempted to ask nonchalantly.

"I told him you make me happy, and after I explained that to him, he was happy, too. Quite simple, really," Luna answered.

Harry smiled. Everything Luna said, every time their eyes met, every time his skin brushed against hers - everything she did made Harry extremely joyful, and the fact that he made her happy made him happy in return.

They walked inside to the warm house, and the aroma of sweet herbs filled the air, and the delicious scent mixed in with the vibrant aura of euphoria energized Harry greatly, making him feel a bit unstoppable and reckless, a confidence he commonly felt during moments of extreme happiness.

"Daddy, Harry's here," Luna called into the kitchen. Harry just noticed that all of their couches were curved to fit the circular house. He and Luna sat down, and Xenophilius walked in, his white-blonde, candy-floss textured hair outshone by an unusually large and bright turquoise hat paired with matching robes.

"L-Lovely to see you, Mr. Potter," Xenophilius greeted Harry rather curtly. Harry imagined that Xenophilius did not like the idea of his only daughter dating Harry Potter, a marked man.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Lovegood," Harry replied, trying to sound sincere for Luna's sake. He didn't have anything against Xenophilius, but Harry found it hard to be polite to someone who didn't treat him with the same kindness.

"I prepared more Greek tea for you two - it's very rare and very delicious…" He handed them silver, oddly square goblets for tea - a detail Harry hadn't noticed his last visit. _Probably because of the head injury, _thought Harry.

Harry and Luna thanked Xenophilius and drank the tea, which was actually quite tasty. However, Xenophilius decided to sit right in between Luna and Harry on the gaudy, curvy couch, and there wasn't much conversation going on for what seemed like a very long time for Harry. Luna appeared to be extremely interested in a crack on the wall. _Possibly investigating it for Nargles_, Harry decided.

"So," said Xenophilius in an oddly loud, serious voice. "Are you planning on asking me for permission to court my daughter?"

Harry choked on his tea and spent an incredibly long ten seconds coughing. Luna nearly dropped her goblet of tea and frowned.

"Daddy-" Luna began.

"I think I have a right to know who my only daughter is dating!" Xenophilius insisted.

"Daddy, really, please - don't put him on the spot like this - what if he doesn't want-"

Luna's last words were enough for Harry.

"Mr. Lovegood, canIdateyourdaughter?"

The words flew uncontrollably out of Harry's mouth with the grace of Errol. He felt his face turning a rubious shade of red. Luna's cheeks flushed to a bright pink, but she looked quite pleased, in Harry's opinion. Xenophilius's eyes widened - it was obvious he had not expected Harry to ask.

"W-Well - if she really wants to - only if she _really _- are you sure?" Xenophilius sputtered. He and Harry quickly looked at Luna, who looked absolutely euphoric.

"I'm sure. Harry James Potter, will you be my boyfriend?" she said calmly.

"Of course," he answered, beaming.

"Will you be a good one?" she asked, and Harry could tell Neville was flashing through her head.

Harry reached out and held her trembling pale hands, inducing a look of horror on Xenophilius' flabbergasted, cardinal colored face.

"I solemnly swear."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five - A Moment

"So where should we go for our first date as not just friends?" Luna asked Harry after Xenophilius managed to give Harry quick nod and sprinted upstairs.

"I dunno… Where do you want to go?" He had no idea where Luna would like to go on a date except hunting for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.

"We could take a walk near the brook! There's always interesting plants growing by there," Luna suggested, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

"Let's go, then," said Harry, smiling as she took his hand and they began to walk out of the house and to the creek in the forest.

"I'm sorry about my father," she mumbled as they reached the edge of the lush green forest, the dirt crunchy from the cold air. "It's just that… I'm pretty much the only family he has left, so he can be quite protective of me."

"You don't have any cousins, then?" Harry asked curiously.

"My daddy has a twin brother named Xenophobius, but I haven't talked to him since my mum was alive. You see, Uncle Pho thinks daddy and I are crazy. He lives above the Leaky Cauldron, so we used to see him when I went shopping for school things, but he always ignored us. He's a bit narrow-minded. He has no wife or children, though, so I've no cousins from my daddy's side," she explained, sounding downtrodden for a moment, and then continued, "From my mum's side, I have three - they're triplets named Cathleen, Catrina, and Ciara - from her sister Aspasia and her husband, a Muggle named Brody Madigan. They live in Sligo and they're starting at Hogwarts next year. We're going to visit them after Christmas, actually." Her voice brightened once more.

"What was your mum's name?" Harry asked randomly, and then wished he hadn't immediately after. _What if she doesn't want to talk about it? I'm an idiot, _he thought to himself. However, Luna seemed completely fine - her smile did not flinch at all.

"Amarantha. Amarantha Líadan Alvey-Lovegood, to be exact," Luna answered him proudly.

"That's a beautiful name," Harry said in awe.

"She was a beautiful woman." Luna reached into her sweater and pulled out a silver locket Harry had never noticed was tucked into her shirt. Opening it carefully, she held it up for Harry to see. Inside was a diminutive picture of Luna, as a baby, and both of her parents. Xenophilius had not changed much - his hair was blonder and longer in the picture, but he had still been slightly cross-eyed and wearing oddly-patterned robes. Luna's mom, however, was the spitting image of present-day Luna, as Harry recalled from the time he went into Luna's room and saw the picture of Amarantha hugging Luna.

"I'm sorry about your mum," Harry said somberly.

They had reached the brook, and Luna first threw in a rock. It sunk down into the clear water until Harry was unable to see it anymore, making him realize that the water was much deeper than it appeared. Then, Luna began bending down and waving her hands in the freezing water, for a reason Harry couldn't fathom.

"It's too cold… The plimpies wouldn't be out," she observed, and then said to Harry, "Your parents were so brave. It saddens me that you had to grow up without parents. You lived with your Muggle relatives, right?"

"Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and my cousin Dudley. My only relatives left, really. The rest are dead."

"Were they horrible to you?"

"For most of my life," confessed Harry. "But we get along better now."

"Petunia was your mum's sister, right?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Petunia and Lily are both flower names. It only makes sense that the two sisters were both named after flowers," Luna answered. "Amarantha comes from a flower name, too. My mum bought me a book with pictures of all sorts of flowers when I was seven. She loved flower names. She always said they were so beautiful."

"Why didn't she name you after a flower, then?"

"I was named after my mum's mum and my daddy's mum. They're both dead now; I never knew them. Mum and daddy told me they were fearless, brave, beautiful witches. Their names were Luna Alvey and Artemis Lovegood. But if I were to ever get married and have children, perhaps in a million years or so-" she and Harry laughed "-I'd want to name my daughter after a flower and my son after a constellation. I really like astronomy. There's just so much out there to wonder about, and I want to discover it all, but that's impossible. It's just such a big, beautiful world," she said pensively, and Harry agreed with her.

"I think one of the differences between Ravenclaws and Gryffindors," said Harry, "is that Ravenclaws want to know everything, even if it's not necessary to know. Gryffindors just want to know what's relevant to them and what they need to know to solve the task at hand or be the best at what they're interested in."

"That's brilliant, Harry. The only exception is Hermione Granger - or, rather, Weasley now - she's always seemed like a Ravenclaw to me, although she is exceptionally brave. How did you come to be friends with her?" Luna asked curiously.

"Ron and I - er - rescued her from a troll during our first year…"

Luna raised her eyebrows. "And all these years I thought those were just rumors."

They laughed as they continued walking down the forest path parallel to the stream until it twisted into the hillside and disappeared from their view. The afternoon sun, blocked out by the tall trees, was beginning its descent, making it even chillier. Harry noticed that Luna was shivering a bit underneath her sweater, and her lips were beginning to tint with purple in the cold.

"Want my jacket?" Harry asked Luna.

"N-no, it's fine," she smiled, her mauve lips contorting into a huge grin. The wind blew into her eyes and caused her silver eyes to shine with tears.

"I insist," he said, removing his warm khaki jacket and helping Luna put it on.

"You weren't lying when you said you would be a good boyfriend, Harry James Potter," Luna said, sounding mildly surprised. "You don't have to dote on me so much."

"I want to, Luna Artemis Lovegood," Harry replied with a grin, staring from her trembling purple lips down her wide grey eyes. _And here comes the surge of confidence, _thought Harry. He rarely ever got this way… _Here goes nothing, _he said to himself. "D'you mind if I warm up your lips while we're at it?" The words poured out without Harry asking himself to say them, and definitely without him revising them.

Luna looked shocked but pleased nonetheless. Before she could respond, Harry wrapped his hands around her waist and drew her closer and closer until their freezing lips locked and finally stopped trembling…

The next several weeks were a blur of happiness for Harry. He rarely thought of Ginny or Neville or the Halloween party that turned into a war. He woke up each morning dreaming of Luna the night before and then spent the beginning of the day talking to Ron and Hermione and eating a delicious breakfast. He was usually the awkward third wheel of Ron and Hermione's constant flirtatious banter, but sometimes Hermione insisted that Harry invite Luna over for breakfast, so he, too, could have someone to put his arm around, someone to casually peck on the cheek, someone to catch staring into his eyes at random moments and laugh.

During the afternoon, on days when Harry did not go to work at the Ministry or go to Diagon Alley to help out George and Ron at the joke shop, he and Luna took walks all over the village. On some days, they would sit on top of one of the hills and ponder what shapes the clouds were. On others, Luna would teach him how to sense for Wrackspurts or tell him what different colors symbolized or what the meanings of flowers were (from the colorful book Luna's mom had given her) and then they would go looking for flowers around the village, and they would talk and talk until Harry was sure Luna knew almost every last detail about him.

_Except for one thing. She doesn't know how much I like her, _Harry thought. _It's… immeasurable. _

They would have picnics in the forest in the freezing cold and on the weekends they would go to The Three Broomsticks with Ron and Hermione and George and Angelina and although Luna would not touch the firewhiskey or butterbeer, she made pleasantly odd conversation and was good company for everyone.

Harry noticed that Luna and Hermione had grown much closer since Harry had begun dating her. When Harry got home from work, he would see Luna at the table, sipping tea and chatting and laughing with Hermione, who did not even seem aggravated to hear about Luna's odd theories about all of the goblins, merepeople, and centaurs that the Ministry exterminated, or that some goblin-made wedding rings caused hand diseases.

He would walk Luna home and even make small talk with Xenophilius, who seemed to hate Harry less and less with each passing day, even shaking his hand one evening before Harry took Luna out to dinner.

_Everything's going so great._

And then, it was the last day in November - a frosty, bitterly cold and windy night.

Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Luna were gathered at the kitchen table, each wrapped in warm quilts and all of them except Luna sipping butterbeer to warm them up.

"I think it's so wonderful that we can double-date, Luna," Hermione said, hiccupping after a rather large sip of butterbeer. Luna smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Your father doesn't mind that you're here so late, right? I wouldn't want him to worry. It's the coldest night of the year so far," Hermione observed.

"I'm going to be twenty in May - he needs to learn to stop worrying about my whereabouts every two minutes… Although I do understand - Nargles come out as soon as the mistletoe does-"

"Luna, when's your birthday?" Harry asked.

"The second of May, in the year 1981 - I was born on a Saturday, at seven o'clock in the morning," she replied.

"You were born on the same date the battle of Hogwarts was fought!" Ron observed, shocked. "Bloody weird, Loony-a," he quickly attempted to correct calling Luna Loony, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Why didn't you tell me that day? When it was all over, and you helped me get some peace and quiet?" Harry asked inquisitively.

"It never came up in conversation, really," Luna said simply.

"So what job do you want to get, now that you're done with your education at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I'd like to be a Magizoologist," Luna responded excitedly. "It's someone who is involved in the study of magical creatures," she explained, seeing the confused look on Harry's face. "I study magical creatures already, but not officially as a career. Some Magizoologists write books about the creatures they find, too - that's why I really want to find a Crumple-Horned Snorkack; so I can be the first to write a book on one!"

"You'll find one. It's just a matter of time," Harry reassured her, inducing lots of eye-rolling from Ron and Hermione.

"You should come with me to Sweden so we can look for them!" Luna exclaimed.

"Definitely," Harry said, squeezing her hand.

"Before you two go off to Sweden… There's something Ron and I've been meaning to ask you," Hermione began slowly and cautiously, then nudged Ron to get him to speak.

"You know how my mum has a party at the beginning of December to celebrate the holiday season? Well, it's tomorrow, and she - er - visited me a while ago, and asked if you'd like-"

"Will _she_ be there?" Harry cut in. Everyone knew he meant Ginny.

Ron suddenly seemed to find the floor very interesting. "Well, seeing as it's a family get together-"

"She tried to _torture _Luna!"

"She was drunk, she didn't mean-"

"That's hardly an excuse," Luna interrupted, sounding calm. "But assuming I'm invited-"

"Of course you're invited, the whole village knows about you and Harry," Hermione interjected.

"How do they-" Harry began.

"Come off it, mate," Ron groaned, rolling his eyes. "It's a small village - everyone knows everything about each other - and you're _Harry Potter_. It's in the newspaper-"

"-I'd like to speak to her," Luna finished, to everyone's shock. "Alone."

"So you'll come, then?" Hermione asked Luna.

"I'd like to talk to her about it first," Luna said firmly. Harry's mouth hung open.

"So she can attempt to torture someone and get into absolutely no trouble at all? Why don't we all go around shouting Unforgiveable Curses?" Harry yelled.

"It's not like she's not in trouble, Harry!" Ron retorted. "I - I told mum what she did when we were having tea, and-"

"They're not letting her leave the house," Hermione interpolated. "They protected the house anti-apparition spells and blocked the fireplace so only Arthur can use it to get to work. They set permanent sticking charms to keep all the windows from being opened, cast defensive spells to keep them from being broken, and they use that poor house elf you gave them - Kreacher - to guard the doors at all times. They locked away all of the broomsticks and they monitor the letters she sends, but it's not like she has anyone to send them to. Neville broke up with her, of course, and she isn't exactly Little Miss Popular anymore. And the thing is - she can't run off even if there was a way, because Molly, Arthur, and Neville agreed to tell the Ministry about her attempt at the Cruciatus Curse on Halloween if she does escape. So," Hermione continued in a shaky voice, "she's not getting away with it without punishment. She's lost everything. I don't feel sorry for her, but I do feel sorry for Molly. She's getting old and she won't live forever and all she really cares about is her family. And Harry, you're family to her. And it would be unfair to Molly if you cut her out of your life just because of Ginny's stupid mistake. You can't say she's not paying for it. I love you, Harry. Ron loves you, the Weasley family loves you - and all Molly wants is a nice get together with the people who are important to her. So do you think for _one night_ - for only a few hours, really, you and Ginny could get along for Molly's sake? She lost Fred - don't let her lose you, too!"

Harry, Ron, and Luna sat in silence for a while, digesting Hermione's words.

"Well," Luna finally broke the silence, "I'm going to visit Ginny." She got up and hugged Ron and Hermione, kissed Harry's cheek, and whispered to him, "I'll stop by tomorrow morning." With that, she disapparated with a faint _pop_.

"If Luna wants me to go, I'll go," mumbled Harry.

"I'm sorry things are like this," Hermione said, and Ron nodded.

"I owe Molly - she was like a mother to me, and I love her," Harry admitted.

"Thanks, mate," Ron responded. "I think she deserves to be happy, too."

"She said she wants to get to know Luna better, too, because if you're dating her, she must be something special," Hermione giggled.

"She _is _something special," Harry said so quickly it was like a reflex. He had felt abnormally jumpy and impatient lately - he suspected it had something to do with the rush of being in Luna's presence. "I just dunno if I'll be able to control my temper when I see Ginny after what she's done!"

"It's understandable, Harry. You just have to know that she _is_ being punished. _Severely_," Hermione stressed.

"Not as _severely _as she should be punished. Not that I want her to go to Azkaban," he added, seeing the look on Ron's face, "but there are worse things in life than being locked in your home with no friends."

"Really, mate?" Ron asked, looking upset. "So those ten years of your life you spent locked under the stairs in Little Whinging were all fun and games?"

"That's different. Are you saying I deserved those ten years?" Harry replied hotly.

"No, it's just that-" he began.

"What Ron's trying to say is that even if Ginny did do something horrible, it's punishment enough for her to lose all of her friends and be locked in her home for an indefinite amount of time," Hermione interjected. "Those ten years weren't very fun, were they?"

"The worst ten years of my life," Harry grumbled through clenched teeth, thinking of his life on Number 4, Privet Drive. "But is Ginny honestly going to be locked away in the Burrow for ten years?"

"Honestly, mate, I dunno," Ron answered. "Mum was screaming, the loudest I've ever heard her, when I told her what happened. She's under a lot of stress and I just want her to be happy, y'know? Sorry for being a git about it."

"I'm sorry, too," Harry said after a moment's hesitation. He and Ron seemed unable to hold grudges against each other after all they'd gone through together.

"Luna will be here in the morning to let us know about the party tomorrow night. Why don't we all go to sleep?" Hermione suggested with a tired smile, and Harry and Ron quickly nodded in agreement, sluggishly walking to their rooms.

Harry fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but he tossed and turned in his sleep - his dreams were filled with the disturbing image of a beautiful redhead witch with bright brown eyes and an ear-to-ear smile on her face shifting into a grimy witch with long, thick black hair, a strong jaw, thin lips, and heavily lidded eyes, an evil grin etched upon her pale face - and then the voice of a wise, old wizard echoing through Harry's mind - _She likes to play with her food before she eats it_…

"_No!_"

"What's wrong, Harry?" he heard a seemingly distant voice ask him, sounding concerned, and his eyes shot open. Hermione and Luna were standing in the doorway of his sunshine-coated room, both wearing thick knit sweaters to shield from the cold. Hermione's was a practical and sophisticated creamy color that went well with her form-fitting jeans; Luna's cable-knit sweater was teal, pulled over her blue and white pinstriped, collared button-down that clashed with her crimson velvet shirt and purple stockings.

He shook his head quickly. "What time is it?" he wondered aloud, getting out of bed and putting on his glasses.

"Nearly ten o'clock," Luna answered in a soothingly calm voice.

"We wouldn't've barged into your room like this, Harry, but we heard noises and we thought you were awake!" Hermione explained.

"Bad dream?" Luna asked Harry.

"Kind of," he mumbled. _Ginny is definitely not turning into Bellatrix! Don't even think about that, _he ordered himself. "Sorry. I'll get dressed and washed up and meet you two in the kitchen." After seeing their concerned visages, he said strongly, "Don't worry!" and quickly got changed and washed up.

When he walked into the kitchen, he saw Hermione and Luna sitting down next to an empty spot at the table where a bowl of hot porridge was set for Harry. He sat down quickly and began shoveling spoonfuls of it into his mouth - he was starving.

"Where's Won?" he asked, his mouth coated with the steaming porridge, his tongue nearly numbing from the scorching sludge.

"He's helping out at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes today. They get really busy around the holidays," Hermione replied with a smile.

"I'll go meet him there to help," Harry offered. He hated feeling useless, and since there wasn't much to do as an Auror these days, he figured he could try to help any way he could.

"Er - before you go, Harry, Luna went to meet with Ginny this morning, remember?"

"Oh. Right. What happened?" he asked Luna, a sinking feeling filling his stomach.

"She couldn't stop apologizing," Luna said, amused. "It was a bit funny, actually. I don't know if she's in the right mental state - there were Wrackspurts all over her room! I was wearing my Spectrespecs!" She sounded slightly concerned.

"Go on," Harry said, suppressing a snicker.

"She said she wanted to be friends again - pleading, actually - and said she'd never be able to forgive herself… She got on her knees, too," Luna continued, frowning. "I'm not one to hold grudges, and she was one of the few people who were nice to me at Hogwarts when everyone else thought they were too cool to be seen socializing with me."

"So you forgive her?" Harry asked, dumbfounded. He would have tried to cover up his amazement, but he knew that Luna would be able to tell what he was thinking either way. Hermione stood awkwardly next to Luna, fiddling with her wedding ring.

"I suppose I never have been good at being angry… I've forgiven her for trying to hurt me, but I haven't forgiven her for hurting you. That's up to you, you know," she responded matter-of-factly.

Harry sighed.

"You aren't ready yet," Luna answered for Harry, her wide eyes gazing deep into his, her faint eyebrows raised.

"I can act like a civil human being towards her for a couple of hours," Harry muttered. "For the sake of you, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasley family _only_," he stressed. "I'd personally like nothing more than to never speak to her again, but I guess that's not possible."

"Great!" Hermione said merrily. Luna smiled - her eyes were drifting off and Harry could tell they were a million miles away. "We'll go as soon as Ron returns from work tonight," Hermione told Harry and Luna.

"Should I go there and help?" Harry asked.

"If you want - all I'm going to do today is work on some paperwork for the Ministry," Hermione replied with a sigh. "So many magical creatures in need of equal rights…"

"Take it easy, Hermione," Harry laughed. "I'll go to the shop now."

He hugged Luna (which caused Hermione to smirk and wink at Harry from behind her back, and he stuck out his tongue at her) and said his goodbyes before quickly apparating to the joke shop, which was overcrowded as usual, and Harry told Ron and George the news quickly before giving them much-needed assistance for the remainder of the day.

The evening came a bit too quickly for Harry's liking. He and Ron went back to the cottage and George went to pick up Angelina for the party. Hermione was dressed in a fashionably cut eau-de-nil gown with a grey overcoat, her bushy hair slicked back into a side-braid. Ron kissed her and whispered, "You're bloody beautiful," causing her to blush immensely. Harry quickly disappeared and changed into a simple button-down, a taupe blazer, and jeans - when he emerged into the kitchen, he found that Ron was dressed similarly, despite the fact that his face seemed to be attached to Hermione's.

"I'll go get Luna and meet you two at the Burrow," Harry announced awkwardly, and apparated to her house before he could see their shocked expressions. When he arrived at the rook-shaped home of the Lovegood family, he saw that Luna was already waiting outside, wearing a ruffled, silver dress that seemed fluid and matched her eyes perfectly. Her amazingly long blonde waves of hair were the only accessories Luna needed - make-up would be like an insult to her beauty.

"You look wonderful," Harry said, awestruck.

"Thank you, Harry Potter," she smiled.

"I'm sorry I had you waiting in the cold."

"I like the cold."

"Shall we go, then?"

He offered her his hand, and she took it. After nanoseconds of uncomfortable squeezing, they arrived, slightly nauseous, in front of the Burrow, which was decorated with holly and tinsel for the holiday season.

"I hope they don't have mistletoe," Luna said. "I didn't see any when I went there earlier, but if they put any up, there might be-"

"Nargles?"

Luna nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised if their possessions go missing during the next month…"

Harry smiled and knocked on the door. The gusts of cold wind had begun to make his ears and fingertips go numb.

Mrs. Weasley quickly opened the creaky door and wrapped Harry in a tight hug.

"Oh, Harry! How lovely to see you!" she said joyfully. Her candy-corn hair was streaked with grey, but her eyes shone brighter than ever. She was in a mismatched, patterned skirt and sweater, and looked a bit thinner than usual. "And Luna! My, how you've grown! You've gotten so big!"

She escorted them into the kitchen, where Ron, Hermione, George, Angelina, Percy, Audrey, Percy's blonde-haired, blue-eyed wife, Bill, the scars on his face nearly faded, a very pregnant and glowing Fleur, Charlie (more muscular than ever), Mr. Weasley, looking tired but happy, and Ginny were sitting. Ginny was shoved into the corner, her once-bright brown eyes staring intently at Harry, much to his discomfort. Her dark, tired eyes were creased into a smile, along with her chapped lips. She was wearing a rather drab, wrinkled, oversized grey sweater-dress that floated over and masked her petite figure. Her skin was paler than usual, and her straight ginger hair was longer but unkempt, but she seemed happy to see Harry and Luna.

Harry greeted everyone enthusiastically, but he couldn't bring himself to make eye contact with Ginny and simply mumbled a "hello" in her direction before sitting down with Luna between Ron and Hermione and George and Angelina.

"It's so lovely to have everyone here," Mrs. Weasley sighed, eyes swimming with tears.

"And we have even better news, mum!" George interjected suddenly.

"What's that, Georgie?" Mrs. Weasley asked curiously.

"Angelina and I are engaged!" he announced, holding her hand and lifting it into the air to reveal a glistening diamond set upon a ring of white gold. Angelina's smile was so large that her eyes were nearly crinkled shut.

"About time!" Bill said, and everyone laughed.

"This calls for a toast," Mr. Weasley said joyously. Mrs. Weasley was still gripping her heart in shock, then quickly wrapped George and Angelina into a tight hug and planted several kisses on the both of them.

"Enough, mum, I'm a grown man now!" George laughed, which just caused Mrs. Weasley to cry and giggle simultaneously. Percy, Charlie, Ron, and Harry gave George quick hugs of congratulation.

"Why not tell us earlier today?" Ron grumbled. "You couldn't've proposed after we left the shop, getting ready to come here-"

"You didn't, right?" Hermione cut in anxiously.

"Of course not," Angelina said, chuckling. "He proposed last night." Her skin was glowing like backlit ebony.

"We just wanted to tell the family all at the same time," George answered, blushing. Harry had never seen him blush before, He was so happy - something Harry wasn't sure would ever happen after Fred's death.

"Congratulations, mate," Harry said.

"Thanks, Harry. If it weren't for you, I might've been unable to afford a ring," George said, chortling.

"I would get up and congrazzulate ze two of you, but my back is 'urting from zis baby!" Fleur complained. "Et took forever for Bill to get me out of ze 'ouse!"

"When's the baby due?" Audrey asked Fleur. It was the first time Harry had heard her speak - she sounded a bit uptight. _A perfect match for Percy, _thought Harry.

"Ze beginning of May!" Fleur exclaimed happily.

"We can't wait," Bill added.

"Congratulations to you two," Harry said. He was ecstatic to see everyone so happy. Luna was smiling, too, but her eyes seemed a million miles away, as usual. She was telling a skeptical Charlie about the Ministry's secret mission to breed an unbeatable species of dragon.

"Ginny, get up and help me bring the food to the table, will you?" Mrs. Weasley called from the other side of the room. She reluctantly got up without speaking a word and joined her mother.

"So, Hermione, how's work going?" Percy asked, patting on his head to make sure that every last hair was in place.

"The proposal for the decree for equal care to magical creatures of near-human intelligence is coming along great, thanks," Hermione responded enthusiastically.

"What is it, 400 pages now?" Ron teased.

"You're still concerned for the welfare of house elves, then?" George asked.

"Page 293, actually, Ron," Hermione scowled. "And yes, George. The minister himself said he thinks I'm doing good work!"

"Kingsley told me himself you're his hardest worker," Mr. Weasley said. "You should be proud of yourself." Hermione blushed.

Mrs. Weasley and Ginny brought all the food into the table, including a mouthwatering roast, vegetable stew, bread, and potatoes. Harry's eyes opened a bit wider. Ginny was still looking at him awkwardly, but he brushed that to the side as he shoved forkfuls of beef and Yorkshire pudding into his mouth. Ron's hands were a blurring motion, and Hermione shook her head.

"Get used to it, 'Mione," George said between spoonfuls of the mashed potatoes.

"Thanks so much for the food, Mrs. Weasley, it's delicious," Harry said.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley, thank you for inviting me," Luna added. "My father makes delicious plimpy soup - we should exchange recipes!"

"Oh, shush, the pleasure is mine," Mrs. Weasley replied.

"Could you excuse me for a moment? Bathroom," Harry asked Mrs. Weasley quietly.

"Third floor, but, of course, you knew that," Mrs. Weasley answered.

Harry quickly dashed to the third floor and used the bathroom. When he emerged, however, he came face-to-face with Ginny, who had apparently followed him upstairs.

"Excuse me," Harry mumbled, refusing to make eye contact.

She wouldn't move.

"Look at me!" she hissed, and Harry winced. "Don't worry, mum and dad took my wand away. I can't do magic," she sighed, and Harry relaxed.

"I don't think we should be talking-" Harry began.

"No? Too bad. I have something to say."

"Go on, then."

"I'm sorry," she said in a quiet, guilt-ridden voice. "Really, truly, honestly, wholly sorry."

"You're only sorry because Neville broke up with you after you tried to attack my girlfriend, Ginevra," Harry said firmly. He had never called her Ginevra before - he knew she preferred Ginny. She frowned, but said nothing about his choice of name.

"You're wrong. He just made me realize how stupid I've been acting. I've barely been able to remember the past month or so - it's like I haven't been myself at all. I dunno what's gotten into me, really. So, I'm sorry."

"Is that supposed to make me take you back, then? Have you forgotten I'm with Luna?" he spat.

"It's supposed to be me apologizing to you. I can't believe how I've acted. I'm a stubborn witch, you know, but I'll admit that I was stupid and wrong and that I should have treated you better in a heartbeat. As for Luna, that was… surprising. Do you honestly think you two have a chance?" she said coolly.

"Are you saying we don't?" he said, his voice rising. "She's amazing and I really care about her!"

"Do you love her like you loved me?" Ginny whispered.

"Our _love_ was a lie because you were a liar," Harry retorted.

"I'm sorry!" Ginny pleaded, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Harry's stern face melted a little bit. Ginny hardly ever cried…

"Ginny - don't _cry_…"

"I've messed everything up!"

"You're… strong. You'll move on. You can pick up the pieces." He attempted to comfort Ginny out of pity… He just couldn't see her like this. He spent weeks and weeks despising her, and now he couldn't stand to see her cry.

She began to wrap her arms around him, but he backed away.

"I can't-"

Ginny hiccupped and wiped away a tear rolling down her cheek. She moved so close to Harry he could feel the heat radiating from the tears around her eyes.

"Luna-" he tried to remind Ginny, but she pushed Harry into the bathroom and against a wall, rested her head on his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around him with a force possibly tighter than Nagini's strangle would be.

"I'm sorry," Ginny whispered. "I'm a stubborn witch."

Harry grimaced. "Ginny - I don't want to send the wrong message… You can't do this… Everyone's waiting downstairs! Luna-"

He never finished his sentence - Ginny lifted her face from Harry's shoulder, and before he knew what had hit him, Ginny had smashed her tear-soaked lips into his. For a moment, he forgot who he was, what had happened, and kissed her back with the passion they shared after the Quidditch game in his sixth year at Hogwarts, then, after a split-second of being unsure as to what he should do, he opened his eyes in disgust - she couldn't be doing this! _I want Luna…_

_Luna…_

He couldn't move his face away - she was gripping his too tightly, and his mouth was now just as drenched as Ginny's. He felt around in his pocket for his wand and finally pulled it out and pointed it at Ginny, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a pale girl with long, blonde hair in sparkling silver robes walk into the bathroom and sprint out a nanosecond after entering…

_Luna…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: I'm aware that this chapter is a bit short. I might begin updating less and less often because school's starting - ew - so sorry if I don't have an update every week! Bear with me!**

Chapter Six - A Love

_BOOM._

Harry blasted Ginny back with his wand before he even thought of a spell - anger blinded him and clouded his judgment. He wiped his mouth in contempt and stopped himself from helping Ginny to her feet or even helping her get out from under the pile of rubble her legs were caught under - not even making eye contact with her to check if she was conscious or not. He felt like the world's biggest prat.

_Luna._

He heard a stampede of footsteps coming up the creaky steps and quickly apparated to Luna's house to avoid having to explain the situation to the Weasley family. He felt immeasurable amounts of guilt.

_Way to ruin a nice family get-together, _he thought to himself as he walked up to Luna's home and knocked on the door. After waiting for over a minute, he knocked again. There was still no answer. He pounded on the door until his fists were stinging. The night was clear but bitterly cold, and so dark Harry could barely see his hands in front of him. He knocked without speaking for a few more minutes, but still, no one was answering the door.

"Please!" Harry pleaded, pounding so hard he was sure his hand would fall apart. He left his jacket at the Burrow. He felt his ears go numb and his fingers were slowly swelling and getting harder to bend into a fist to knock with. "I need to explain, Luna. Please!"

His breath formed clouds in front of him. He continued to knock and knock. He didn't want to use magic to get in. He wanted Luna to want him.

"Luna is busy right now!" Harry heard Xenophilius finally say.

"Please let me in. I'll do anything!" Harry begged.

"Are you a wizard or not? If you really wanted to get in, you could just use a spell."

"I don't want to be even less of a gentleman than I have been so far this evening. Please let me in."

After nearly thirty seconds of silence, thirty seconds that felt like forever, Xenophilius opened the door.

"I'm only letting you in because I must go to the Ministry to settle a dispute over one of the articles in the Quibbler," he said quite rudely. "You might have to wait a while."

"Why would I be wait-"

"Move out of the way, Potter, I have to go. I'm in a hurry and travelling by Portkey." He shoved Harry out of the way and disappeared behind a hill. Harry went inside, shut the heavy wooden door, and sat on the couch, waiting.

_I wonder what she's doing. Should I go check her room? _Harry thought to himself. He shrugged and went upstairs into Luna's room, where she still had the portraits of her friends, including Neville and Ginny, on the ceiling, and the picture of her and her mother on her nightstand next to her bed, next to which a pair of her colorful spectrespecs were laying, along with her butterbeer cork necklace and orange dirigible plum earrings.

Harry heard water running from across the hall and realized that Luna must be in the shower. He sat down on her bed to wait and noticed that the quilt covering it was embroidered with different types of flowers, from roses to daisies to lilies to buttercups, and less known ones that looked a bit dangerous.

He wondered if Luna would come visit him in London. He couldn't stay with Ron and Hermione anymore, not after tonight. Ron was probably upset with Ginny, but she was family, and if Harry stayed with Ron, he'd have to put up with her, too.

_Grimmauld Place isn't so bad, _Harry tried to convince himself. _It's been cleaned up nicely! It's big enough to live in forever, big enough to start a family in…_

_ Family, _thought Harry_. What is family? My real family died, then my Godfather died, then Remus… And then Fred, and then Ginny… I can't be like family to the Weasleys now. A family is when everyone involved loves each other unconditionally. _A depressing thought popped into his head.

_I don't have a family._

Then a hopeful thought.

_I can make my own._

_But _love_. What is _love_? _Harry thought._ I love a lot of things about my friends - that's why I'm friends with them. I love my friends. But that's different than the way I feel about Luna. I love her hair - it's so long and light, like God plucked strands from Heaven and put them on her head. And her eyes - they're like polished silver, lighting up everything they look at. Her skin is like porcelain, and she's so perfectly crafted, like a sculpture, only she can _feel _- she understands. And that's why her appearance isn't even important, because I kind of forget about that when she starts talking. She _sees_. She sees me better than anyone has before. She sees everything better. She helps me see. I love that about her. I love how she knows a bit about everything. I love how she can always tell. She can always tell how I feel without me having to say anything. That's why I trust her. _Trust_. She probably doesn't trust me now-_

"Harry Potter?" a dreamy but shaky voice said suddenly, followed by a hiccup. Luna was standing in the doorway, her soaking hair so long that it reached past her hips. She was wrapped in an extremely fluffy navy blue bathrobe with constellation patterns dotting it. Her eyes-

"Your eyes!" Harry exclaimed. "Were you-" he began, but his voice cracked. He didn't want to think that Luna Lovegood might've been _crying. _

_And it's your entire fault, Harry, _he scolded himself, hating himself more with each passing second.

Her eyes were tinged red and her cheeks were backlit with a deep shade of cherry. Her full lips were contorted into a slight frown.

"I was wrong to forgive Ginny, right?" Luna whispered. "That was rather stupid of me, wasn't it?" She didn't budge from the doorway, and Harry stood up, a couple yards away from her, not yet daring to go closer.

"It's all my fault. Don't blame yourself, Luna. Please. You're brilliant," Harry replied.

"You didn't want-"

"To kiss her? Of course not!" Harry said indignantly, though remembering that moment he had forgotten himself…

Luna raised an eyebrow. "I was there the moment she first kissed you."

"There was a split second I-"

"Lost yourself?"

"Exactly. I'm so sorry, Luna. But once I realized what was happening, I wanted her off of me. I _hate _all the trouble she's caused. I don't want anything to do with her. I want _you. _Only you. I promise!" he insisted.

"Who are you?" Luna asked unexpectedly, rubbing her eyes.

"Harry James P-" he began, confused.

"No," Luna said, voice still slightly quavering. "I know who you are. But _who_ are you?"

Harry had a feeling she meant more than just who he was on the outside.

"I'm… I'm - er -"

"I'll give you a hint," Luna said. "I'm a witch who likes researching magical creatures, flowers, and constellations. I also like one boy, and only one boy. His name is Harry. I don't like dancing, I really enjoy eating pudding, and I don't mind what most other people think about me because at the end of the day, I'm by myself, anyways. My greatest fear is…" She stopped.

"What's your greatest fear?" Harry asked curiously.

"That's not important," Luna insisted, her voice a bit stronger. "Who are you?"

Harry thought for a moment, and then began. "I'm a wizard who values bravery and loyalty and fighting for justice. That makes me sound a lot cooler than I am," he reflected after a bit. "I'm stubborn and opinionated and don't really care about rules. I hate dancing. I'm very fond of a beautiful witch named Luna Artemis Lovegood. My greatest fear is… fear. And I've a few friends but no family," he blurted out before he could stop himself. "Forget the last bit," he quickly said. "Please."

"Family is just another word for people who love you, Harry," Luna said, almost smiling. "You must know this."

"Love," scoffed Harry. "It's what made me different from Voldemort, but it's caused me so much pain."

"There's something I want to show you, Harry," Luna said, sitting down at her desk and pulling out a bit of parchment, a quill, and some ink. She started to write, and Harry walked cautiously over to her desk and watched her as she slowly and carefully wrote in a beautiful script with blueberry-colored ink.

"_If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.__If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing.__If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would have gained __nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love."_

She put down the quill, hands trembling. "So you see?" she said. "Love is the most important thing in the world! Love isn't a bad thing to have. Voldemort was one extreme - the opposite of love. It's beyond my understanding how he never felt remorse - but it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, as the Muggles say."

"If you say it that way," Harry said reluctantly, "Love doesn't sound like a bad thing at all, really. Where's that from? The stuff you wrote, I mean. It's beautiful."

"The Bible, Harry," Luna smiled. "More Muggles read it than witches or wizards, and that's a sad thing, because it teaches so many lessons."

"I don't think I've ever heard anything from the Bible except at my baptism," he laughed.

"What was the quote on your parents' tombstone again?"

"'The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death,' why?"

"That's from the Bible, Harry," she said, grinning slightly.

"Ah," Harry said, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't be embarrassed," Luna said quickly. "I'm weird, remember?"

"You're… perfect. You've helped me so much," he said in total honesty.

"I can't help you unless you want me to, you know."

"I'm done with Ginny, if that's what you mean. I absolutely loathe her."

"That's nice," Luna said, now unmistakably grinning.

"You're the only girl I want. The only girl I'll ever want."

"Thank you for putting up with me for one month, Harry," she said in a soft voice.

"Wait - what day is it today?"

"It's the first of December, and exactly 9:27 at night," she answered, pulling out a shining gold pocket-watch from her robe.

"I asked you to be my girlfriend exactly a month ago, didn't I?" he laughed, smacking himself in the head. "Sorry for forgetting - and thank you for the best month I've had in a long time. All the time I've spent with you, at least, has been wonderful."

"I'm glad you're my best friend. You're the closest friend I've ever had. You've never made fun of me, not once. You've never called me Loony. You care about me so much. It's a bit odd, but in a good way," she said.

"Like you," Harry smiled. "But, if you don't mind me asking…"

"My boggart?" she frowned. "It's a bit difficult to explain. It starts with people - normal people, they're different every time - and they're arguing. Then, they start fighting. One of them," she said, voice quaking harder than ever, "usually kills the other. And the one that survives grows old and continues to wrong others and be wronged. And when they've hit rock bottom, they're wearing rags, living on the streets, ill, and old - they die. I asked daddy about it once. He said that - that is life for some people. For a lot of people. That I fear… I fear the worst parts of people - the worst aspects of life itself. Sickness, and anger, and violence, and poverty, and death. That's why I prefer imagination. I can control what happens. Nothing bad can happen… No one can betray you, if you don't want them to…"

She shuddered, tiny tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. Harry realized it must be a very strange day if Luna Lovegood cried not once, but twice. Luna hardly ever cried. She was one of the bravest girls Harry knew.

Harry held out his hand and helped her up from her seat at the desk, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"There might be a lot of bad things in the world," he began, attempting to think of words to comfort Luna, until they spilled out, like the most normal thing in the world - being with Luna, talking to Luna, it just seemed natural to Harry - "but," he continued, "we have faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love," he finished gently and quietly.

Luna lifted up her head from where it was nestled in Harry's shoulder and tenderly kissed him. He felt his blood pumping through his veins ten times faster than before - his heart was pounding so fast, he was sure Luna could feel it. She placed her right hand on his chest, feeling its heavy, steady pounding. It reminded Harry of the way he banged on the Lovegood family's front door earlier this evening, after _Ginny_…

But he didn't even want to think of her, ever again. Harry didn't really care what happened to her as long as he'd never have to see her or speak to her ever again. Out of the two girls who had cried on him tonight, Harry realized he preferred Luna in every way. She reminded Harry exactly of how love was described in the Bible - patient, kind, hopeful, never jealous, not often angry, forgiving… And Ginny was usually the opposite.

_If Luna's love, I _love_ love, _Harry thought to himself, out of the blue.

Then, it was as if a chemical chain reaction had forced everything in his brain to come into place. It was all making sense - the butterflies that crowded his stomach whenever he saw Luna, or the way he would blush when she looked at him, or how he knew she understood him better than anyone ever had, how she'd always been there to help him and support him, how she could always make him smile, how she would teach him new things, how she walked and spoke and how she read Harry easier than she could read any book - the way it made Harry happy knowing that Luna was just _breathing…_

Harry pulled his face from Luna's for a moment, breathing heavily. He couldn't keep the words inside of him - they were hopping up his throat, stomping out of his mouth-

"I love you, Luna."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven - A Dream

Luna looked up at Harry, her silver eyes wide, her milky skin backlit with a rosy blush that made her look even more unbelievably gorgeous. Her soaked, honey-colored hair along with her pale skin and big, bright stone eyes made Luna look exceptionally like a beautifully crafted, life-sized doll.

"I love you, too, Harry Potter," she replied in her usual far-away voice. "No boy has ever said that to me before. It's probably because I never really have felt this way before. The way I feel now. I feel so happy all the time. I feel like I can do anything. I feel invincible!"

"I feel the same way, Luna. I'm sorry Ginny had to come between us like that. I don't care what happens to her as long as I never have to see her," Harry said sourly.

"You won't be staying with Ron, then, will you? He'll probably want to visit her..."

"Yeah, it would be a bit too awkward now. I s'pose I'll be staying at Number 12, Grimmauld Place again," he said, his voice saturated with sadness. He got quite lonely there.

"I'll come visit you every day, Harry. It won't be so bad. I'll help you clean out the Nargles!"

Harry laughed. "It's not just that. I can live with Nargles. It's just that the house used to belong to Sirius..." His voice trailed off. His heart seemed to sink every time he thought of his late Godfather.

"Memories can be even worse than dangerous creatures, can't they?"

"There's a family tree in there. Bellatrix is on it. And the Malfoy family. Draco and I are on better terms, but I hate seeing Bellatrix's name every time I walk through the house. She's evil, she's pure evil," Harry said, voice filled with resentment.

"I'm going to paint over it! I'll do it tomorrow!" Luna said cheerily.

Before Harry could respond, he heard the door downstairs swing open.

"I'm supposed to be downstairs," he said, panicked.

"I'm probably not supposed to be talking to a boy while I'm wearing a bathrobe," Luna said, deep in thought.

"I'll be downstairs," he whispered, then apparated to the sitting room with a faint pop.

Xenophilius entered the house the second Harry apparated.

_Damn it!_ he thought. _I splinched off my glasses - they must be upstairs!_

"Hello, Mr. Lovegood," Harry said quickly, attempting to sound calm. He desperately wanted Xenophilius to like him and approve of his relationship with Luna.

"Harry Potter," Xenophilius said rather coldly.

_He must've just seen Luna crying and knew I was the cause,_ thought Harry. _I'm such an arse…_

"How was the meeting at the Ministry?" Harry asked, trying to sound interested.

"Rather badly..." Xenophilius said, sounding slightly crestfallen. "The Minister insists that they don't have a secret supply of deadly fungi, but I beg to differ! Sources tell me-" he began, but then looked at Harry curiously. "Harry, where might your glasses be?" Xenophilius asked.

_Just my luck._

"Er-" Harry started, unsure as to what he should say.

"Daddy!" Luna called from upstairs. "A Blibbering Humdinger!"

Without further questioning, Xenophilius sprinted upstairs.

Harry chuckled to himself as he heard Luna say, "It was just outside the window! It went into the forest - I hope it doesn't get attacked!"

Walking slowly and quietly up the steps, Harry positioned himself behind the door so that he could see what was going on through a small crack, albeit his vision was quite blurred.

"What a fine eye for magical creatures you have, Luna! Most witches and wizards, even highly skilled ones, would have missed it!" Xenophilius said proudly. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to see it," he continued, spinning in circles for some odd reason, as if the Blibbering Humdinger would appear once more in Luna's room, "but now that you've spotted one, it's only a matter of ti-"

He stopped abruptly, spotting glimmering metal on the floor - Harry's glasses.

"Ah," he said coolly, spotting the glasses and turning back to Luna. "The student nearly outsmarts the master, but not quite. You've forgotten I was a Ravenclaw, too," Xenophilius smirked.

Before Luna could say anything, Harry took out his wand and silently made his glasses invisible, then summoned them into his hand. He reversed the invisibility spell and put his glasses on. Luna caught onto this and said, "Daddy, what are you talking about?" innocently.

Xenophilius looked back to where the glasses once were. "What?" he gasped.

Harry walked in, wearing his glasses. "I'm sorry for interrupting your conversation, Mr. Lovegood, but my glasses were just in my pocket - I'm a bit forgetful on occasion, you see," Harry said, holding in laughter. Luna winked at him from behind her father's back.

"Please," he said in a pained voice, "Call me Xenophilius."

"I... think I'll be going home now," Harry said awkwardly. "Thank you for having me."

"I'll be at Number 12, Grimmauld Place tomorrow morning," Luna said. "Goodnight! Let the gnomes bite!"

Harry smiled and walked outside into the ruthlessly cold and gusty night, ready to apparate to London. He didn't care about the weather or Ginny or much of anything else now - he felt like his life was a dream.

_Luna Lovegood loves _me_!_

He decided that he should visit Ron and Hermione first to make sure they were aware of the truth about the events that unfolded at the Burrow and why he fled.

_I would be a coward to disappear with no expla__nation_, he told himself firmly.

He apparated to Ron and Hermione's cottage and knocked on the door. Hermione answered almost immediately, quickly hugging Harry and escorting him inside with an upset look on her face.

Before she could say anything, however, Ron appeared from his room, saw Harry, and exclaimed, "What the bloody hell happened, mate?"

"What d'you think happened? Humor me," Harry responded, his head still up in space over his encounter with Luna. His heart was fluttering and he was sure he was blushing.

_Luna loves me!_

"You're acting different, Harry," Hermione noted, sounding anxious. "Luna?"

Harry nodded, grinning. His eyes were shut - he was trying to remember every last detail of their encounter. "Luna..."

"Back to Ginny," Ron said seriously, "all I know is that we found her only slightly conscious, and we asked her what happened, and she started sobbing like a baby!"

"Oh. Ginny," Harry said, zooming back down to earth. "She found me after I used the loo and cornered me begging for my forgiveness and trying to make me question my relationship with Luna, and then she started snogging me out of nowhere-"

"I CANNOT believe her!" Hermione screamed. "That lying, cheating, indecisive little-"

"Hermione!" Ron interjected, almost laughing. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but let Harry finish!"

"So right about when she sticks her tongue in my mouth, mind you, I see Luna standing there - she saw everything, just about. So I finally was able to grab my wand - Ginny's got a tight grip and I didn't want to punch her, but I've got to give her credit for holding onto my face when everything was so wet-"

"Too much information, mate," Ron moaned. "That's my little sister you're talking about."

"-so I blasted her out of the way without even muttering a spell, and I went after Luna..." His voice drifted off again. He could see her bright grey eyes every time he shut his...

"Ginny's a blithering idiot - sorry you've got to deal with her," Ron grimaced. "We can tell my mum and dad what happened tomorrow since Ginny won't say-"

"About that," Harry began uncomfortably. "I was planning on moving back to Grimmauld Place, y'know, to keep my distance from Ginny for a bit and to give you and Hermione some privacy for a change."

"Come off it, mate-"

"You don't have to!" Hermione insisted, but Harry knew they both were secretly glad. He recognized every facial expression they made - it was one of the things that came along with having the same two best friends for nearly a decade, and it filled Harry up with joy - Ron and Hermione were like the brother and sister he never had.

"I'll visit whenever I can, and I'll probably start going back to work and helping at the joke shop-"

"Good, Georgie says he could use you for the next month - holiday season's the busiest time of year before the back to school season," Ron said. "I reckon we've done enough work at the Ministry this summer, it's been a bit of a pain, cleaning up the messes all the other Ministers and Aurors've left behind."

Harry nodded. "Luna's coming by to help me do some redecorating tomorrow, but you two should come for dinner - I need to learn how to cook and practice on somebody," Harry smiled.

"I'll do the cooking, Harry, don't worry," Hermione said abruptly, and Ron and Harry laughed.

"So," Ron said finally, "what happened with you and Loony after you left the mess my idiot of a sister created?"

"Erm," Harry began, "I - uh - found her in her bathrobe..."

Ron and Hermione's eyes widened.

"That sounded a lot worse than it actually was! Nothing like THAT happened," Harry reassured them. "We just talked for a while, and I-"

He stopped.

"What, Harry?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Go on, mate!" Ron insisted.

"I told her... I told her that..."

"Spit it out!" they exclaimed in unison, clearly expecting the worst.

"ItoldherthatIloveher?"

Ron spat out the tea he was drinking and Hermione smiled, eyes twinkling.

"I'm so happy for you two!" Hermione cried.

"You didn't," Ron said in disbelief a few moments later.

"Why do you sound so shocked, mate?" Harry frowned.

"I'm just surprised, is all," Ron said quickly. "Seeing as you were all cut up over Ginny a couple months ago..."

"How long did you expect me to hang on to her? She's just not right for me. She doesn't understand me like Luna does, y'know?" Harry explained.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you and Loony are all roses and sunshine, I just don't want you rushing into something and getting hurt again," Ron said softly.

"Ron! You have feelings?" Hermione joked.

"Thanks, Ron," Harry said. "I'll be extra careful, just for you. If it'll help you get to sleep at night, I spent more than two years hung up on Ginny and look how that worked out. Time isn't always a measure of love."

The word still sounded weird coming out of Harry's mouth.

Ron blushed, suddenly finding the floor very interesting, and Hermione looked at him in awe and disbelief.

"You were so CONSIDERATE!" Hermione said, dumbfounded.

"It's been known to happen," Ron replied with a shy grin.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight - The Café

Harry spent a great portion of that night staring at the peeling off-white, slightly moldy ceiling of Sirius's old bedroom and smiling. He couldn't shut his eyes without seeing her face, he couldn't spend a minute without hearing her voice inside his head. He felt like he had just won a Quidditch match, only ten-thousand times better. Not even the portrait of Sirius's mother shrieking about blood-traitors could dampen his spirits.

Phineas Nigellus Black was in his portrait at Grimmauld Place for the first time in many months, and continuously badgered Harry about why he looked so happy. Harry just laughed, smiled, and sighed deeply. Phineas then left, muttering about how the boy was off his rocker, but Harry didn't care. The world seemed like a more beautiful place, a place where everything and anything was possible.

Halfway through the pitch-black, wintry night, a curious thought sprung into Harry's head.

_What's going to happen next?_

He began to argue with himself, as he often did.

_It's been a month; I shouldn't think about that._

_But you love her. What do people do when they love each other?_

_Spend time together. They don't have to do anything else._

_People who love each other get married!_

_After a month?_

_You said it yourself - time is no measure of love._

This arguing went on until Harry dozed off for a few hours, and then woke up as the sky turned the color of ripe mango flesh and the sun began its ascent. It was one of those blindingly sunny winter days. Harry felt even more overcome by happiness - this type of day reminded him of Christmas break at Hogwarts.

"_Accio glasses_," he yawned as he gripped his wand, half-asleep, poking himself in the eye in the process.

He hobbled out of bed unwillingly - it was terribly cold, but he couldn't sleep all day, Luna was coming! - washed up, and slid on a cashmere sweater, striped scarlet and gold for Gryffindor, and a pair of comfortable old jeans. He wondered when Luna would arrive, then walked into the dusty, ancient kitchen and looked for something to eat for breakfast, running his hand through his carelessly messy jet-black hair.

He checked the slightly dented golden watch Molly Weasley had given him so long ago. It was barely nine o'clock. He searched through various cabinets for food to eat, and found a rat and Kreacher's various possessions. Harry hadn't had a good meal at Number 12, Grimmauld Place since he gave Kreacher to the Weasley family. He always went out to eat, and kept a small fortune's worth of Muggle money at the ready for nearby cafés, but preferred wizard restaurants as he could not read the Daily Prophet in the presence of Muggles. However, there weren't many places he could go in the wizarding world without being flocked by admirers, so he usually ate at the Burrow when he was with Ginny, and for the tedious, melancholy, angry days before Hermione forced him to move in with her and Ron, he hadn't eaten at all, except for scraps his friends had sent him by owl.

Subsequently, the kitchen of Grimmauld Place was vacant for a long, long time, and Harry's stomach was rumbling. He didn't have an owl, so he couldn't send out his pet to attain food for him, and food was impossible to magically conjure.

_I'll just go to a Muggle café_, he decided reluctantly.

"_Accio £20!"_ Harry waved his wand of holly, and the money went flying into his hands. He stuffed it sloppily into his pockets.

Eyeing his Nimbus 4000, he half-considered flying under his invisibility cloak - he was desperate to fly again. It made him feel free - the way he could soar over buildings and taste the cool sky and feel the wind blowing against his skin and numbing his ears…

_The cloak doesn't cover me__, let alone the broom. I'll get seen_, he reminded himself, and got ready to apparate to an alley behind the nearest café and walk in from there.

Suddenly, there was a faint knock at the door.

Harry who it was in a heartbeat, and grinned instantly.

"The situation is worse than I thought," Harry heard a light voice say, concerned. "I can already sense the presence of Nargles and Wrackspurts."

Harry opened the door. "What exactly are Wrackspurts and Nargles, and how d'you know they're here?" he asked Luna, affectionately planting a kiss on her cheek, which instantly ignited to a rosy, youthful shade. She was clad in a lacy, multicolored floral dress topped with a midnight-blue and bronze Ravenclaw cardigan and worn black lace-up boots as shoes. Propped up against her head were, of course, her trademark spectrespecs; all in all, her outfit mismatched delightfully. Luna had let down her cascades of hair seemingly made of sunlight itself - the room nearly lit up - and she had styled it stick-straight so that it was sleek, shiny, and reached down to nearly the tops of her thin, pale legs.

"My spectrespecs, of course," she explained in a dreamy voice. "Try them on," she suggested, removing them from her fair face and gently sliding them onto Harry's, making him feel at peace as her fingers brushed against his temples. With her, Harry felt safe. Harry noticed that her fingernails were painted a rich dark, almost black, purple - shiny and pearly and magnificently mirror-like - that made Harry feel like her fingertips were dressed in beautiful gems. He finally was brought back down to earth with the uncomfortable squeezing sensation around his head from the spectrespecs.

The pink glasses would have made Harry feel rather stupid, but with Luna, he wore them freely, feeling like a little kid again. He reminisced briefly on his first year of Hogwarts when he was eleven - it was one of the best years of his life.

"Do you see them, Harry?" Luna whispered.

"What?" Harry said dumbly, distracted by her mere presence.

"The Wrackspurts - they're little swarming specks," Luna explained. "You may think they're harmless, but you'd be wrong. Too many, and you forget who you are or what you're supposed to be doing," she said somberly.

Harry looked at Luna while wearing the glasses, and he only saw one or two lazy little amaranthine dots sluggishly gliding around her head. "I don't have very many, do I?" she asked.

"Of course you don't," Harry smiled. "You're more yourself than anyone I know. You would never forget who you are," he promised.

"I've been noticing less around you lately, but there are hundreds of the little pests zooming around the house - even the neighborhood. I suspect it's because of the Muggles. They're quite oblivious to many things, and hide who they are much too often. It's a shame, really," she said in a melancholy tone. The Dursley family immediately came to Harry's mind.

"What can we do to get them away?"

_Are you seriously beginning to believe in Wrackspurts?_a voice inside him screamed._ It's not so insane, _he tried to reason with himself_. You saw them! In theory, they make sense..._

"It's okay if you don't think they're real. Most people don't. Actually, daddy and I are the only ones who do believe…" Her voice trailed off.

"If they're not real, then what am I seeing through the spectrespecs?"

The corner of Luna's lips curved upwards slightly.

"How do we get rid of them?" Harry asked, curious.

"The fix for Wrackspurts isn't so simple. You have to be true to yourself, and do what you want, and focus more on your life decisions," Luna explained. "Do you think you can do that, Harry?"

He shrugged, pulling off the uncomfortable spectrespecs and placing them on the ebony table. "I'm doing it now," he said as he pulled Luna in for a sweet, short kiss. As they separated, his stomach growled noisily.

"Would you like me to help you prepare some breakfast?" Luna asked as Harry blushed. "Some say it's the most important meal of the day, but I don't agree," Luna continued. "A good dinner keeps the bed-bugs and Nargles away," she said matter-of-factly. "Although, gnomes ARE more inclined to bite someone who has eaten a rather large breakfast..." She looked deep in thought, as if she was fiercely debating with herself inside her mind, and Harry knew better than to interrupt. "I'll just have to ask daddy," she concluded. "What do you think about the matter?"

"I think we should go out for breakfast because there's no bloody food anywhere in this place," Harry suggested.

"Aren't all the cafés around here for Muggles?"

Harry nodded. "We can still eat, we just have to keep our wands in our pockets and owls in the house. Muggles don't usually see owls flying about during the day time."

"You still don't have an owl. Aspro flew away," Luna said, sounding slightly crestfallen.

"I don't care about Aspro. She never understood me like Hedwig."

"Do you think another owl ever will? My owl, Ourania, was the second owl I had, but she came to understand me just as well as my first."

"I don't really care. If I need to talk to you, or Ron, or Hermione, you know where to find me. And, well, I haven't got anyone else, have I?"

The words spilled out like vomit after taking a Puking Pastille.

"Once, my mum and I read an article in the Daily Prophet about you. I was very young. She saved the newspaper from Halloween. The night it happened. We read it, and we cried together."

Harry felt his cheeks burn. "I never want-" he began.

"Of course you never wanted anyone to be hurt because of you, Harry Potter," Luna interjected. "My mum told me she wanted to adopt you, but you had Muggle relatives to live with." She sounded slightly disappointed.

"It would've been nice to have a sibling, but then…" Harry and Luna spoke unintentionally simultaneously, and the two of them slowly smiled.

"Let's go to breakfast, then," Harry said as his stomach grumbled ferociously and extremely audibly. Luna took his hand and they apparated to a narrow, dingy side-street alley. It was a frequent apparition spot for wizards - Muggles usually avoided this alley, which had a reputation for being gang territory. The windows on the crumbling brick buildings forming the alley were boarded up with rotting, foul-smelling wood, and an overflowing dumpster completed the trashy pathway into London. The smoke from homes and restaurants emptied into this passage, concealing the already-weak sun and transforming the sky into a dull light-grey that reminded Harry of dirty snow.

"Charming," Luna said dreamily.

"I'm sorry it's so vile," Harry said quickly before pinching his nose shut and walking Luna out of there and into the busy, loud streets of London.

Though their wands were safely in their pockets, the couple received odd looks from strolling Muggles. Luna seemed to enjoy it thoroughly - she was even waving hello to a lady and her young child, who waved back with a chubby, minute hand.

Harry led Luna into the small French café where they sat outside on cushioned wooden chairs under a cream-colored awning with multitudes of small evergreen plants growing in every corner.

"It's a shame we missed the summer plants. Perhaps they would've had gardenia flowers. The smell keeps away some types of Nargles, though butterbeer corks and dirigible plums do work better," she whispered.

"I'll keep that in mind," Harry replied.

The two chatted for a few minutes until the waiter, a young man, perhaps a bit older than Harry, arrived to take their order. He had neatly gelled auburn hair and a perfectly adjusted crimson bowtie.

"What would zee two of you like for breakfezt on zis fine morning?" he asked in a bored voice, not even bothering to look up from his thick writing pad. His high-strung attitude and thick French accent reminded Harry distinctly of Fleur, though she had now become quite the happy, down-to-earth home-maker.

"I'll have a cup of coffee, black, and two fried egg sandwiches, please," Harry ordered.

"I'd like a hot chocolate and the croissant aux amandes. It looks quite delicious," Luna said, showing Harry a photograph of a flaky croissant topped with snowy powdered sugar.

The waiter instantly looked up as soon as he heard Luna's soft, faraway voice and raised his eyebrows. Luna might've been dressed a bit odd in the wizarding world, but for Muggles, she looked awfully weird. The waiter, however, obviously thought she was beautiful, as he said, "And zat will of course be free of charge for you," and hurried away into the crowded café, dropping his writing pad in the process.

Harry snickered, and Luna asked innocently, "What did I do wrong?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine - Home Is Wherever I'm With You

After Luna finished her second helping of pudding and Harry downed his last sip of bitter, black coffee, they walked hand-in-hand through the overcrowded London streets into the garbage-littered, foul-smelling alley and apparated back to Number 12, Grimmauld Place. As they walked in, past the shouting portrait of Sirius's mum, Walburga Black, ("Blood traitors! Filth! How dare you!"), past clouds of dust and grime, bits of rotting ceiling fell on them.

"Sorry about that," Harry said. "I've let this place go a bit…"

"We have a lot of redecorating to do!" Luna said excitedly. "I brought supplies, too!"

"Where would you hold-" he began, but then spotted her tiny floral purse and realized she must have an undetectable extension charm on it, much like Hermione's. They sat in the dim, dingy kitchen and Luna began emptying the contents of her minute handbag, revealing buckets of paint, copious amounts of butterbeer corks, and an opaque velvet bag - contents undisclosed. Quickly and carelessly wrapping her lustrous hair back with a bit of ribbon she picked out from her pocket and tucking her wand back behind her ear for safekeeping, she pulled out paintbrushes of all sizes and more large tin cans with no labels. Finally, she pulled out a broom and a dustpan.

"All of this?" Harry asked, shocked.

"There's more in there, but I don't think we'll need it for now," she replied. "First, we have to get rid of all the dust in here, then we can remove that revolting troll lamp and take down that portrait - she's very unkind."

"You should see upstairs if you think the troll leg is bad. And the portrait is Sirius's mum Walburga. We've tried to get rid of her. Permanent sticking charm, I think," Harry muttered. "Trust me, I'm not a fan of her either."

"We can cut out that chunk of wall and replace it," Luna suggested.

"I've never thought of that!" Harry felt extremely stupid.

"Don't feel bad, Harry. I've worked with a lot of permanent sticking charm incidents in my lifetime. Once, I stuck a flower to my hair, and my mum had to cut out quite a bit of it," Luna said regretfully. "It took years to grow back evenly."

Harry laughed, and Luna waved her wand elegantly, causing the broomstick and dustpan to rapidly dance around the home, sweeping up all of the dust and loose grime and bits of ceiling, nearly poking out Luna's eye and whacking Harry across the head in the process - they stood on top of the table while the broom swept the floors, and hid under it while the broom swept the walls and ceilings. Frequently the dustpan would get so full that it would dump its contents out of a muck-caked window. Luna, noticing the filthy windows, retrieved several rags from her bag, soaked them in a bubbling citrine liquid, held them up, pointed her wand, and muttered something incomprehensible. They flew up and began wiping down all of the windows, and Harry conjured a large rubbish bin for the rags to empty the thick layers of scum they wiped from the windows. Buttery rays of sun ignited the room with color Harry couldn't possibly imagine. It was instantly a warmer, happier kitchen. The broom, dustpan, and rags left the kitchen and continued in the other rooms - Harry could hear them furiously clanging.

"Let's go empty what you don't want from here and send it to the wizard secondhand shops in Knockturn Alley," Luna offered. Harry got up and followed her to Kreacher's possession cabinet.

"Take everything. It's all sort of repulsive, really," he said, opening the cabinet to reveal the music box that tried to put the listener to sleep, a series of dusty goblets, the biting silver box of Wartcap powder - "I'll save that to give to George," - rusty daggers, torn Black family photos including one of Bellatrix - "Burn that one," - a golden ring engraved with the Black family crest, the many-legged pair of tweezers, and random rusted silver boxes Harry did not wish to open.

Harry and Luna quickly shoved everything except the Wartcap powder into a thick wooden crate Luna conjured, and sealed it shut as the tweezers attempted to escape.

"Lovely home," Luna joked.

"Just think, there are three more floors to this place," Harry groaned.

"Let's pull up the ghastly carpet in the hallway and take down that poster now, shall we?"

The two had their wands at the ready and forced the carpet in the hallway to get pulled from the floor, revealing a layer of relatively clean and sturdy wood. Then, Luna lifted her wand to the portrait of Walburga Black, who was screaming more half-blood slurs, and shouted confidently, "Diffindo!" whilst tracing her wand in a circle around the shrieking woman. Luna's severing charm cut the portrait (and a chunk of wall) out cleanly, and they collapsed to the floor.

"Impressive," Harry said, shocked. Usually, he could only cut fabric with the charm. "Very impressive." _Luna's truly an amazing witch_, he thought.

She summoned a label-less tin can and opened it, using her wand to cause globs of the grey, waxy contents of the can to fill in the cave where the portrait was. Within seconds, the cavity was filled and the grey globs had transformed into an identical replica of the wall around it.

"What is that stuff?" Harry asked, in awe.

"Instant Wall-Builder," Luna said happily. "Daddy and I have lots. We redecorate one room each month or so; it's very handy!"

Harry and Luna packed the screaming portrait into another crate and stacked it upon the other tingling crate along with the yards of thin, worn carpeting. Harry grabbed Luna and pulled her down as the rags came flying by to wipe down this new section of wall and the heavy front door.

They continued emptying out useless or odd possessions for the better portion of the next two hours, filling a total of thirteen large crates. Now, everything that wasn't Harry's or Sirius's was gone. Harry wanted to leave Sirius's room untouched, including the pictures of Muggle bikini models and Gryffindor banners. He did, however, allow it to be dusted and the windows to be cleaned, and got rid of the dirty old sheets, which they had found a spider in. Harry was rather disgusted - he had been _sleeping_ in that bed.

"After this, we can go furniture shopping!" Luna exclaimed joyously. Harry knew that with Luna, nothing would be boring, so he readily agreed, and they continued emptying much of the house as the broom and rags cleaned on. Luna added a mop and surface-rebuilding serum to the mix, so there was more to dodge, but the cracks in the walls and peeling ceilings were quickly fixed and washed down.

"Thanks for doing this for me, Luna," Harry said, kissing her softly on the cheek.

"The pleasure's mine," she replied softly. "Redecorating is a hobby of mine. But I must admit, I did think this would be rather dull for you, Harry Potter. Not many people could picture Harry Potter helping his girlfriend redecorate. No, _Harry Potter_ would be out rescuing babies from burning buildings or fighting dragons or in his mansion surrounded by thousands of beautiful maidens."

She giggled, and her nose wrinkled in a fashion Harry found extremely adorable. Harry laughed with her, silently blissful that she had referred to herself as Harry's girlfriend. He knew that she was; it just made him happier to hear her say it. Happier in a way he couldn't really explain. It was a sort of _happy_ that frequently surrounded him when he was with Luna, or thought of her, or heard her voice.

"I'd take you over the maidens any day," Harry grinned. "Just for the record."

"You remind me a lot of him, you know."

"Who?"

"That boy in all of the photographs. Not your father, though you look nearly identical to him and you run your fingers through your hair every passing second like he does, but like your Godfather, Sirius. So charming, and happy, and a bit reckless."

"I've never heard that before, but Sirius was a great man. So, thank you for the compliment," Harry said seriously.

Luna shrugged. "Just an observation. Now, let's take down those house-elf heads…" She shuddered. They got back to work.

The house was soon spotless, all the way to the third floor, like a fancy hotel stripped of furniture, curtains, and bed-sheets. A warm, vanilla scent filled the home, thanks to Luna's extensive magical knowledge. It certainly felt like much more of a home than it ever had.

"Let's take these crates to Knockturn Alley, shall we?" Luna spoke after they had collapsed onto the clean wooden floors, sweating and exhausted. Harry had his arm wrapped around Luna while they attempted to catch their breath.

"I s'pose, if you - really want - to get up," he panted. Slowly, she got to her feet, and helped Harry up.

After drinking glass after glass of cool water, they each held a couple boxes at a time and dropped them off in Scower & Hedgeburry's Second-Hand Hotspot, a deteriorating shack at the edge of Knockturn Alley with the motto _"It's still good!"_ in fading paint on the crooked door, who took all of their items gladly, although Harry and Luna got only two Galleons, twelve sickles, and five Knuts for all of their items in the crates. Harry didn't mind at all - he would have paid the employees at Scower & Hedgeburry's to get rid of them.

"Luna, take the money," Harry insisted, handing her the small canvas bag as they left the dark store, basking in the bright sunlight.

"It was your Godfather's family's possessions, and he left it all to you. The money is rightfully yours," Luna objected.

"I don't want it. You did most of the cleaning! Give it to your dad. Maybe he'll dislike me less."

"Just save it! You can use it to buy furniture, remember?"

"True. But I still think you should have it."

Luna shook her head, and they laughed as they apparated hand-in-hand to the Diagon Alley Furniture Emporium, a gargantuan building crammed to the brim with various types of furniture.

"I went to a Muggle furniture store once," Luna said as if it were the oddest thing in the universe. "It was called IKEA, I think. It was even bigger than this!"

Harry and Luna spend the next hour acting like they were children again, jumping on the soft, over-stuffed beds (they got yelled at by Humphrey van Humbek, the owner, and had to quickly repair beds with their wands at least thrice) and playing hide-and-go-seek in the bathroom section - Luna was petite enough to fit into the cabinet underneath a sink. Harry felt as though this partially made up for the childhood he never had growing up, and felt more energized and exuberant than ever. When they were finally acting their age once more, Harry admitted breathlessly, "That was more fun than I ever had when I was a kid. Except for maybe Quidditch."

"Do teach me how to play one day… I've been rather scared to approach broomsticks since my daddy fell off of one searching for Heliopaths…"

"Of course. I'll teach you when we get back to Grimmauld Place. Well, maybe we should eat first," Harry added as his stomach growled. He checked the beaten watch - it was half past two. He could see the sun heading slowly west above them.

They chose out all the new, sturdy, cherry wood furniture for the five bedrooms, three bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, and the drawing room. They had emptied out _every _piece of furniture from the home, except for Sirius's room, when they simply repaired the furniture. They also bought sheets and blankets and towels and utensils and china, all to suit Luna's taste, since Harry really had no preference. Everything she chose was delightfully bright and colorful and quirky, from square plates to floral mugs to ikat blankets and bed-sheets to boldly colored sofas. When everything was finally loaded into the house by employees, Harry felt more at home here than he ever had before, but perhaps it was just because Luna's soft hand was pressed against his. The walls were re-painted light pastel shades and all the cherry wood was fresh and strong and everything matched beautifully, or so Luna said. Harry couldn't really be sure what colors and what prints matched with what. All Harry knew was that this place, besides Sirius's bedroom, was barely recognizable, and he was sure Sirius would be proud.

"One last thing," Luna said suddenly as they collapsed into the new cushioned wooden chairs in the kitchen. She pulled some sparkling ribbon and a large needle out of her opaque velvet bag. Harry observed her string butterbeer cork after butterbeer cork through the yards of glittering ribbon and flicking her wand so that the strings of ribbons flew up and fashioned themselves like streamers around the windows. "Keeps the Nargles away even better than just wearing a necklace," she informed a slightly confused Harry.

They briefly visited a Muggle grocery store, and upon their return, Harry instantly noticed that the windows were immaculately clear; all the rooms were cheerfully bright and pristine and spick and span and substantially less ancient and foreboding. Harry helped Luna pack everything into her flower-patterned purse and they ate from the newly-stocked kitchen - Luna quickly prepared multitudes of sandwiches on fresh, squashy bread, which they both ate ravenously, and guzzled down pumpkin juice. As the sun set, Harry felt that it was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Harry and Luna found themselves cuddling on the new jessamy-colored sofa, dozing off after such a grueling day. Harry woke up at about six o'clock - the home was now dark, as the sun had set early - Harry could feel the winter rapidly approaching. Luna was still fast asleep, her head resting atop Harry's shoulder.

_Well, this has got to be a once in a lifetime sort of thing. She's always awake before me, _thought Harry. _Xeno probably thinks I've kidnapped her._

Harry could stare at her for eternity and never get bored.

He noticed every freckle, every birthmark, the series of small scars behind her ears and on her neck from her stay at Malfoy Manor, everything. She was perfect exactly the way she was. She was so entirely _herself, _so original, so unabashedly true and perfect that Harry realized he was extremely lucky to call her his own. She was close to the opposite of Ginny - Ginny was fiery, rash, almost reckless, and Luna was calm, intelligent, kind, and tolerant. Harry didn't care what Ginny did with her life. Harry didn't care about much of anything at the moment. All he wanted was Luna. His Luna. The redecorating of Number 12, Grimmauld Place felt like not only redecorating, it felt not only more like their house than just his, but it also felt as though Harry was embarking on a journey - the journey of his life with Luna.

_Every moment I spend with her is a blessing._


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: I know these chapters haven't been the most action-filled, and I haven't been able to update as often because of school but trust me - there will be conflict, climax, and lots of drama… Just wait. :) Also, it would be awesome if you guys checked out my two other fics (you can just go to my profile and find them from there) and if you wanna follow me on Tumblr, find me at s-p-e-c-t-r-e-s-p-e-c-s. Thanks for all the reviews I've been getting! Please, continue!**** XX**

Chapter Ten - A Father's Approval

The next few cold winter weeks leading up to the holidays passed quickly, much too quick for Harry. There seemed to be no time available and he would have killed for a Time Turner, but, unfortunately, few were made since the last batch had been destroyed, and they all went to Hogwarts students. There was just so much to do - Harry constantly thought about the what-ifs - if he had a Time Turner, he could double his productivity. He was often envious of those precocious, overachieving students taking so many classes that they'd need a Time Turner.

He had to help out at the joke shop and in the Auror office, as the weeks leading up to the holidays were chock-full with pranksters attempting to imitate dark wizards and scare Muggles, and a few even had to be Obliviated. His new busy schedule thusly diminished the time he had to spend with Luna, Ron, and Hermione. He hadn't seen Arthur, Molly, or any of the other Weasleys except for Ron and George at work, and this made him feel even more upset and guilty. There were immense amounts of pressure on him - it felt as though his back was constantly about to snap because of the boulders on his shoulder and in his heart.

He felt bad about not being able to see Molly - Molly, the woman who had taken the role as his mother, the one who had always been there for him, the one who cared so much about him, who saw him as one of her own - but he couldn't risk seeing Ginny. Perhaps he'd owl her and invite her over for tea, but he didn't have the _time_.  
>He'd also promised Hermione he'd meet her and Ron and go out to dinner, perhaps with Luna, sometime soon, but he hadn't gotten around to that either. He thought about just going out with Ron and Hermione - just the trio - but he wasn't sure if Luna would be upset with him. He knew that Ginny was, when he did it too often, but Luna was different, and it was only one time…<p>

Then, he'd promised Luna that he'd get to know Xenophilius better. He knew it was important to her that he and Xenophilius get along, and he felt immensely terrible that he hadn't gotten around to it, with Christmas in only a few days.

_Christmas_, he remembered as he blearily shoved spoonfuls of left-over, tasteless oatmeal into his mouth on a slow Saturday morning. He'd told Ron and George in advance that he wouldn't be helping them today - he needed to get some things done, and he was sure they'd be fine without him as long as Ron and Hermione went in. He was no chef, and hadn't seen Luna in days. He flipped through the Daily Prophet, thankful that he and Ginny and Neville and Luna were no longer making headlines. Ginny had been portrayed in an awful light by the media, whereas Neville had gotten some slack, described as "awkward," "pitiful," and "not the brightest apple in the barrel." Harry knew that most of those things were not true and were definitely no excuse for destroying a relationship, but let it slide, tossing the newspaper into the rubbish bin. The Daily Prophet rarely had valuable articles - it was mostly gossip and rumors, useless in Harry's eyes.

The windows were frosty, but it had not yet snowed, and Harry was slightly worried. Christmas was ten-thousand times better if it was a white one, everyone knew that. Common logic.

_I'll go shopping today. No excuses_, he ordered himself, dressing quickly into warm corduroy slacks and a striped sweater. He laced up his Chuck Taylors as he summoned his glasses and shoved them on before grabbing his thickest cloak and his wallet, which was heavier than usual - the one good thing about going to work in the Auror office more often. He didn't accept money from George, insisting that all he wanted was a sweater from Molly on Christmas.

Apparating to Diagon Alley, he ran into Flourish & Blotts and thought about what he might get Hermione. A book, of course, but she probably already had nearly every book in the store. The store was sparsely populated, and for that Harry was thankful. Nearly everywhere he went, he had his photo taken, or was asked for an autograph, and it did get tiring. He began searching hastily through the new arrivals section to ensure that he bought Hermione a book she did not already have. This search went on for nearly fifteen minutes - the shelves were huge, and the books were enormous. He had yet, however, to spot one that he thought Hermione would like. There were books about Quidditch, one particularly about Viktor Krum, but she knew that Hermione (and perhaps Ron more so) wouldn't like that, so he chuckled to himself and put it back.

"Herbology, nope; she has this one; Quidditch, no way; aha!" he shouted, and was scolded by an elderly employee. The book was crisp and fresh and heavy and the font was amazingly small - he was sure Hermione would love it. It was titled _The Heroines of Our Day: Witches Deserve Some Credit, Too!_

He wouldn't have been surprised if Hermione was mentioned in this book. Smiling at his accomplishment, he jogged over to the cashier, lugging the overweight hardcover. On the way, he saw an interesting-looking new arrival about rare specimens of dragons and picked it up for Charlie. As he got into the short, steadily-moving line, he heard a drawling voice behind him.

"Well, if it isn't the famous Mr. Potter."

Harry turned around, shocked at who he saw. It was Draco Malfoy, lips curled into a genuine smile. He hadn't seen Draco in ages. In fact, he hadn't seen him since he'd saved his life at the Battle of Hogwarts. He looked exactly the same as the last time Harry had seen him, over two years ago, except he seemed happier, lighter, more carefree, and Harry knew exactly why.

"Nice to see you, Draco," Harry said, smiling. He didn't see the need in addressing Draco by his last name - they were grown men now, not school-boys.

Draco was in a neat business-suit with an expensive-looking grey cloak that matched his eyes perfectly. "Likewise. Though I must ask - why are you interested in heroines of our day?" he asked, laughing as he saw the book Harry was holding.

Harry laughed with him. "It's for Hermione. It's a Christmas present for her."

"So are you two-?" Draco began, and Harry knew exactly where his question was going. He'd been asked the same question for years, and always said the same thing.

"No, we're still just friends," he informed Draco. "I'm seeing someone else."

"Really? You've got yourself a girlfriend again?" Draco asked, slapping Harry on the back. "Way to bounce back! Who's the lucky girl?"

Harry felt slightly uncomfortable. It was unusual for Draco to be this nice to him, but he answered his question anyway. "Luna Lovegood. She was a year below us. I dunno if you knew here." He didn't want to remind Draco too much of their days at Hogwarts… Maybe he'd remember that they were enemies, and hex him.

"Loony Lovegood? Everyone knew her," Draco chortled. His skin was no longer so pale and his eyes had a twinkle in them, but he hadn't lost that tangible aura of pompousness and smugness, judging by his diamond-encrusted white-gold watch and creaseless, perfectly unwrinkled shirt.

"That's the one. No idea what I should buy her, though," Harry frowned. "She's a bit unconventional."

"I hear you, _Harry_," Draco responded cheerily. "At least you've got one. I'm here shopping for my aunt, actually."

Caught off guard, Harry said, "But Bellatrix is dead!"

"Not _her_," Draco said, sounding only slightly miffed. "Aunt 'Dromeda." Harry was even more shocked now. Draco seemed to read his expression (though it wasn't difficult), because he continued, "We're all on good terms now. The whole family's so tight-knit. It's a bit annoying, really. No time for myself. Now I know how Weasley feels."

He sounded _sincere_. Harry wondered exactly how much he'd changed. Was this Draco Malfoy?

"You looked shocked. My feelings are hurt, Potter," Draco said sarcastically. "Anyways, I've no idea what to get her. I just thought I'd say hello." He turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Harry called. "I knew your Aunt Andromeda's daughter. Very well, actually. She was a close friend. And if mother's anything like daughter, I know that your aunt would really like this book," Harry said, pointing to the one he had gotten for Hermione. "It's about a Galleon, but when has money been an obstacle for a Malfoy?"

Draco laughed and nodded, then curtly gave Harry his thanks. Harry was half sure that was the first time Draco had ever said "thank you" to someone, and saying it to Harry was most unexpected. Harry purchased the book and with one last goodbye to Draco, walked back into Diagon Alley.

It had to be nearly eleven, as the sun was only slightly to the east and the street was bathed in a pale yellow. Harry strolled into the Quality Quidditch Supplies store and bought Ron the largest set available of broom-keeping supplies, and bought George and Percy new beater's clubs for when they had scrimmages in the backyard of the Burrow - Percy had taken Fred's position as beater. The thought made Harry's heart ache sharply - not a day went by without him missing Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Colin, and all the others who had given their lives for the greater good. Forcing his mind off the subject, he picked up a new pair of expensive Chaser's gloves for Angelina - the last time they played, her gloves were worn with holes in the leather.

Now, he just needed gifts for Bill, Fleur, Molly, Arthur, Audrey, and Luna. He sighed and trudged into Witchkinz R Us, a baby store for magical folk, and quickly picked out some small baby books that would be good for Bill and Fleur no matter if their child was a girl or a boy. Next, he dashed to Twilfitt and Tatting's and bought Molly and Arthur new dress robes, Molly's a shimmering emerald and Arthur's a deep sapphire. For Audrey, he haggled with a jewelry vendor and picked out a simple silver necklace, as Audrey was a simple but classy woman.

That left Luna. _What could she possibly want? _Harry thought and thought, but his mind was at a blank. He found himself stumbling through the Alley scratching his head and brainstorming, completely oblivious to the bustling world around him.

_Jewelry__? No, she makes her own. Books? Maybe, but she already has so many. Quidditch? She doesn't play. Robes? She's so beautiful on her own, and has a unique sense of style you can't just _buy. _She has an owl… What else could she possibly want?_

Now rubbing his chin, he continued pacing back in the opposite direction, deep in thought. He could see blurs of people gift-buying all around him from his peripheral vision, but it was all foggy, even with his glasses. When he was focused, it was hard to pull himself out.

_THUD._

Harry fell over, and by the time he got back up, there was a wand pointed to his chest. "You better watch-" a familiarly high-strung voice began angrily, and Harry looked up, eyes refocusing. It was Draco, but as soon as Draco realized he had pulled his wand on Harry Potter, he let it down abruptly, with a jerky arm movement. "Sorry," Draco said in a lighter voice. "Didn't know it was you."

"It's fine. Sorry for bumping into you like that," Harry said, embarrassed.

"You look deep in thought, P- Harry," Draco said pensively. "Do you need help with anything?"

_Draco Malfoy? Offering me help? This is a bit too odd. _

But Harry didn't see how it could hurt, so he informed Draco of his situation with Luna.

"Well, I haven't got much experience with women. Only Pansy," he said, shuddering, "and there's no way in Hell I ever bought her anything, that crazy hag." Harry laughed hysterically. He had no idea Draco hated Pansy so much. "What does Luna like?"

"Well," Harry said, racking his mind for anything and everything they'd talked about in the past two months, "she likes flowers and weird magical creatures and bits of wisdom and making her own clothes and rare plants and art and astronomy and being herself and designing and helping others-"

"I didn't ask for her life story, Harry," Draco chuckled. "This is easy. Get her Tasteria Tourano's Telescope for Talented Teenagers from Flourish & Blotts, on the upstairs level. They're really advanced telescopes - they say you can see other solar systems with them! They come in a nice leather case with a book about all the different constellations in the sky and galaxies and black holes and all the ghastly, boring things mum made me study at Hogwarts."

"Thanks a million, Draco!" Harry said, already speed walking to Flourish & Blotts. "I owe you one!" He knew in his mind - he was 100 per cent sure, actually - that Luna would love a new telescope, especially such an advanced one. _The one she has is like the Cleansweep Five of telescopes_, Harry thought. It was rusty and old and probably not much better than the ones Muggles had.

"You saved my life twice, Harry, and you helped me choose out my Aunt's book. I owe you two. Two big ones," Draco said seriously.

Harry shrugged and they said their goodbyes once more - Draco disapparated and Harry sprinted to the second floor of Flourish & Blotts that reeked of old books, grabbed the shining silver telescope bundled in a metallic leather case and tied with crimson and green ribbon to a thick book with a picture of a nebula on the cover, and ran to the cash register, arms quickly become sore from the other bags he was carrying.

He formulated a plan for the rest of the day. He would take all these gifts home, go get a bite to eat, visit Luna for a few hours, try to win over Xenophilius' approval, crash at Ron and Hermione's for the night, and join them at George's joke shop the next morning.

By two in the afternoon, the sun was shining annoyingly bright and Harry was shielding his eyes as he walked to the disgusting alley near the café that had come to be known by the magic community as Apparating Alley. His stomach was full with a delicious meal of fish and chips and he apparated to the small, sunny village of Ottery St. Catchpole, right in front of Luna's house. Hoping she was home, he knocked cautiously on the thick wooden door.

"Luna," he heard Xenophilius call, sounding a bit bitter. "You know who it is." Harry then heard delicate footsteps prancing down the staircase and the door soon flung open. Luna smiled at Harry warmly.

"I've missed you," Harry finally managed to say, temporarily in awe of her beauty, her presence.

"That's nice," she smiled shyly, and clasped Harry's hand gently, walking him into the sitting room. The purple couches were now an obnoxious orange, and the walls were patterned with purple, blue, and orange stripes.

"You've been doing redecorating here, too?" Harry grinned. The house had an infectious feeling of energy, and he felt substantially less tired. Perhaps that was just because he was with Luna.

"Lovely, isn't it?" she asked.

"Perfect."

They sat down on the squashy couches and began to catch up for a few minutes.

"I'm so sorry I haven't been visiting. I've been working with Daddy on the Quibbler. He's offered to pay me to become an official reporter!" Luna said excitedly.

"Don't be sorry, Luna. That's great! I'm happy for you," Harry said honestly.

"I'll fetch the latest issue so you can see what I've written. _Accio Quibbler!_" she said, pointing her wand upwards towards her room, and then tucking it behind her ear for safekeeping when the magazine plopped into her lap. She flipped open to one of the first pages and held it up for Harry to see. It was an extremely long, in-depth, intelligently written article on the whereabouts and recent sightings of Crumple Horned Snorkacks. Harry could feel Luna's enthusiasm radiate throughout the room. Skimming the twelve-page article, Harry smiled widely at Luna. He was filled with happiness at the thought that she was happy.

"It's wonderful!" Harry said. "I had no idea you could write so well!"

Luna blushed. "Thank you, Harry. I think it's because I was bitten by a gnome right before I started working on the article! Then, the words just poured from my mind, through the quill, and onto the parchment! But enough about me, what have you been up to?"

"Work," Harry groaned. "The joke shop is insanely busy during December. You've no idea. The Auror office is insane, too. I took a double shift just yesterday. Finally got the day off."

"Can you stay here for a while to relax? I'm sorry you're so overworked, Harry. I understand if you don't want to go to Seamus and Lavender's wedding tomorrow-"

"It's _tomorrow_?" Harry exclaimed. "I had no idea! I mean, I received an invitation, but that was ages ago… I need to get them a present… Of course I'm going, Seamus is a good friend… I'm sorry I forgot, Luna!" His brain whirred with guilty thoughts once again. He was so angry at himself - Seamus had been there for him when he was in need on multiple occasions, and Harry was so close to forgetting about his wedding!

"Don't worry about it, Harry. Please don't be upset. You now know. Everything's working out; since we're going together, I've already got a present for us to give-"

"I'll pay you back; how much was it?"

"It's just a vase Daddy and I painted ancient runes on to, it cost hardly anything to make, and I wouldn't let you pay me, anyways," she smiled. "You've done enough for me."

Harry softly caressed her warm face with his icy cold fingertips, but she didn't flinch once, and stared deeply into his eyes. "You've helped me so much, Luna. I haven't forgotten." He combed his fingers gently through her silky hair and tucked a loose strand of it behind her wand-free ear, then leaned in for a light kiss. Harry felt electricity he'd never felt with Ginny pass through every molecule of his being as their lips slowly met. He thought he'd go bouncing across the room. They pulled away slowly, her eyelashes tickling his cheeks as they parted.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Potter, but this is _my_ house and I'd like to ask you to leave," said a stone-cold voice from across the room. Harry and Luna looked up, surprised. When Luna saw who it was, she wore an expression of bewilderment. Xenophilius Lovegood was ordering Harry to leave his house!

His thin, chapped lips were curved into what looked like a permanent frown, and he looked extremely distressed, with his wispy hair tangled and matted as though he'd been running his fingers through it madly. His face was as red as the hair of a Weasley.

Harry was unsure as to what he should do. "I'm really sorry, Mr. Love-"

"Save it, Potter! I will not tolerate you groping my innocent daughter! Why she still wants you is a mystery. You cheated her!"

"No, I didn't!" Harry said indignantly. He could feel his face getting hotter.

Xenophilius smirked and continued. "You're using her to replace that Weasley girl-"

"Daddy, stop it!" Luna urged, sounding a level of upset that Harry had never heard before.

Harry looked into her eyes and saw the silvery-blue bulbs glistening with tears. He knew she desperately wanted him and Xenophilius to get along, so for her sake, he didn't hex him on the spot and kept his voice at indoor volume and his temper calm, something he'd never been able to control before. Usually, he would have exploded, but he instead took a deep breath and began to speak, ignoring Luna's pleas for him to disregard her father and Xenophilius' orders for Harry to leave the house. He couldn't bear the thought of Luna ever being so upset - he hated it. It seemed like a sin for someone to be the cause of a tear dropping from her eye.

"Mr. Lovegood," Harry began in a confident voice, not knowing what his next words would be, but letting them spill out from somewhere unknown inside of him, "I met your daughter when I was fifteen. She was fourteen. We were on the Hogwarts Express and she was sitting near me. She seemed odd at first. I'm not going to lie. I promise you that I won't lie to you, ever. It would be an insult to Luna and to her intelligence, and to yours as well. I know you're a smart man and I know she's a smart girl. Anyways, she was one of the only ones who believed me - you and her and a handful of my other friends. No one else. They thought I was crazy. They thought Luna was crazy. It's funny, how we had that in common. She understood me from the beginning. She knew death like I knew death and she was so calm and thoughtful all the time. She was the opposite of me. She let things happen while I was - I am - impatient, and hot tempered, and rash. She's helped me so much, though. She's something else, Luna is. She's funny, and fiercely loyal, and one of the bravest people I know. At the end of my fifth year, she chose to come with me to the Ministry and fight against Death Eaters, and she escaped without any serious injuries. Do you know how amazing that is? A girl, a beautiful, innocent girl of fourteen, who got away from Death Eaters, who fought them. In my sixth year, she did the same when we fought in the Astronomy Tower. Did you know that I'd probably never have defeated Voldemort if it weren't for her? She helped me realize where I could find one of the last Horcruxes. I'm eternally grateful to her - the whole world should be. And has she ever asked for credit for any of the amazing things she's done? No, never. Instead, Ron, Hermione, and I are the famous ones. But Luna deserves it, too, even more than I do. She chose to do the right thing. She chose her side. I had no choice. It was thrust upon me. I was born great, but she achieved it, and that's what makes her perhaps the most amazing woman I've ever met. You don't know, Mr. Lovegood, how I pray to God every day, thanking Him for letting me spend time with your daughter, asking Him to let me have more hours in each day to spend with her. You don't know how it feels when she talks. Just when she talks, or when she holds my hand. You're the luckiest man in the world to call such a great person your daughter, and you should let her be happy. If she wants to be happy with me, I think you should accept that. If she wants to be happy without me, I think you should accept that, too. And I think you should know that she never was and never will be and isn't a replacement for anyone or anything. She was my friend. She is my friend. She's been my friend for about five years, Mr. Lovegood, and I don't want that to change. She's not only a great friend of mine, but something more, and I'd really appreciate it if - if you let it stay that way. She wants your approval for this relationship, and so do I. And look at her. She's upset. I know it hurts you to see her upset. It hurts me, too. Because you just want to see her be happy, right? You don't want to see her get hurt. I just want you to know that I - I want the same."

_He's going to kill me, _Harry thought in his mind, absolutely and positively sure. He hadn't realized the potency of the words he'd just said. He didn't really remember what he'd said at all - they came out naturally, yet felt so weird to him. He wasn't used to spilling out all of his emotions like that. He stood up, getting ready to leave, looking at his sneakers. Finally, he looked up to say goodbye to Luna. When he did, he saw that she was standing next to her father, and they were both crying. Harry felt a different aura about these tears, though - they were tears of joy.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven - To Have And To Hold

"Harry, watch out!" Ron yelled from the opposite side of the field, circling around the Keeper's post.

"Thanks, mate!" Harry called in return as he swiftly dodged the makeshift Bludger that Percy and George had crafted for their Quidditch scrimmage. Harry was searching for a golf ball Arthur Weasley had found and enchanted to zoom around like a Snitch, but it was proving to be difficult, as the sky and the ball were a matching shade of light grey.

"Ronnikins, wake up!" George shouted as the Quaffle came zooming towards the Keeper's post. Ron flew up and reached out to grab the ball, but was too late. He prevented the Quaffle from entering the goal, but it slammed into his stomach and he and his Nimbus twirled to the ground, slowed down only by Percy shouting a spell to slow the momentum. However, Harry was paying no attention to this - he had been flying upwards as quickly as humanly possible on his Firebolt, soaring through the grey skies, feeling free and fulfilled - he was so close now - he filled his lungs with crisp, cool air as he finally clasped the snitch in his hand, shouting in celebration and satisfaction.

"Nice one!" Angelina congratulated him as they all met back on the ground.

"It's a miracle you could even see it!" Lee exclaimed.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked Ron, who was lying on the ground, shivering. He nodded, and Harry helped him up.

"Let's go inside. It's nearly three o'clock, mum'll whip something up for us," Bill suggested.

"Wait, it's nearly _three_?" Harry asked, dropping the golf ball, which dipped towards the ground but then gained speed and flew into the distance. "Seamus and Lavender's wedding starts at four!" Harry was beginning to panic. "Are any of you going, too?" Harry asked. Everyone shook their heads.

"Hermione and I don't really enjoy her company," Ron explained, scowling, "and anyway, we're going to visit her parents tonight. It's their anniversary. I only remember because it's the day before Christmas Eve," he added defensively.

"The joke shop," George and Angelina said in unison when Harry turned and looked at them expectantly.

"Lee and I'll be there helping, too. We have to add extension charms; it's packed to the brim every night," Percy added.

"Fleur's only four months pregnant, but she might as well be nine, the way she's acting. Charlie and I can barely handle her," Bill said seriously. "Not to mention the fact that I don't even know Lavender or Seamus."

"I'm supposed to pick up Luna in fifteen minutes!" Harry ran his fingers through his hair, as he often did when he was stressed.

"It's alright, Harry. Some ladies dig that rugged, fresh-from-the-Quidditch-game scent," George winked. Harry punched him in the arm, quickly said goodbye to his friends, and apparated to Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

He ran inside the clean, sweet-smelling, brightly lit home, grabbed a pile of peanut butter and honey sandwiches Luna had made him when she visited, cast water-repelling charms on them, and jumped into the shower clutching two in each hand, stuffing his face while he washed himself.

_Desperate times call for desperate measures_, he told himself, slightly disgusted.

He dried off quickly, not bothering with his unmanageable hair, and scrambled into a pair of grey dress robes. _Luna's probably going to wear her omelet-yellow robes_, Harry thought, because it represents good luck. _I wonder what grey represents…_

He threw on his glasses, laced up his shoes, stuffed his wand of holly into his pocket, and apparated to the Lovegoods' home with two minutes to spare, feeling rather nauseous after eating so much and being shoved through the uncomfortable process of apparating in such a short time span. He knocked on the door. Harry hoped he looked presentable, and wasn't a sickly shade of green.

Luna answered almost immediately, and Harry was temporarily left speechless. She was a sight for sore eyes, wearing flowing sunflower-colored robes embroidered with intricately detailed flowers, cinched by a silver belt at the waist that accentuated her petite figure. Her wavy hair was fashioned into a thick braid, and her bangs angled from her cheekbones to her chin, bringing out her beautifully sculpted face.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Luna asked, but the smile lighting up her face suggested that she already knew exactly why Harry couldn't speak.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "Shall we?" He extended his arm, and she took it. The painful sensation of apparating was numbed slightly by the butterflies erupting inside him when they held hands.

They arrived at the small church in Godric's Hollow, careful to apparate behind a tree Harry knew to be there so that no neighborhood Muggles could see them. They laughed as they saw that people were apparating behind every tree in sight and assembling into the stone building. Harry and Luna walked hand-in-hand into the church and were breath-taken by its beauty. Pink roses adorned all the windows and a white archway was erected at the altar. The maple wood pews were freshly cleaned and gleaming, and already half-filled with wizards and witches in brightly-colored robes. Harry spotted Seamus, sweating buckets, in black robes standing at the very front - he was next to Dean Thomas, obviously best man - and Parvati Patil, the maid of honor, was clad in pink and silver robes, standing next to three young girls who must have been the other bridesmaids; they were all wearing matching with Parvati.

Luna tugged Harry's hand and whispered, "Let's sit down next to Padma, Terry, and Anthony. They're the farthest from the mistletoe." Harry chuckled and followed her to the right side of the church, where many Ravenclaw students Harry recognized seemed to be seated.

"Harry? Luna? Together? Still?" Harry heard Padma whisper in shock to Anthony, who also looked quite surprised.

"It doesn't make sense," Terry whispered back. "_Loony Lovegood_ with the Boy Who Lived!"

"Nice to see you, too," Harry said, and they all blushed fiercely, but shook his hand and quickly moved over to make room for the couple. Harry could see Luna flash him a grin.

After fifteen minutes of waiting, minutes passed by Luna pointing out the meanings of the colors everyone was wearing, music began and Lavender walked down the aisle with her father, a short, crumpled man with wispy salt-and-pepper hair.

"She looks simply beautiful," Luna declared as Lavender made her way to the altar. Lavender's light brown hair was braided and then twisted into a bun and secured on top of her head. Her long, lacy, poufy dress might've appeared white at first glance, but was tinged with the faintest hint of pink.

"I think it might be a bit… overdone," Harry whispered, and Padma scowled.

"The flowers growing from the ground after every step she takes might be a bit unnecessary," Luna admitted, and before Harry could respond, Lavender was at the altar, and everyone was silent, except for wheezes and sobs from a short, stout woman with mousy brown hair who could only be Lavender's mother.

"We are gathered here today…" the wizard minister began, though his sentences were periodically interrupted by echoing cries from various witches. When it came time for the vows, Seamus and Lavender held hands tightly, and Harry saw love radiate through both of their eyes that he never thought that he'd see in any of them, or that they'd see in each other, or anyone. It was hard to explain, it was hard for Harry to comprehend - he could just see that undying longing, the passion, the protective look, the words and feelings they exchanged without saying a single thing, and Harry was awed. Harry couldn't hear the words the priest was saying - he was enraptured by that look in their eyes, and couldn't pry his from it, because in the back of his mind, he thought something in Seamus's eyes looked familiar, and he wasn't paying attention to what anyone was saying, and couldn't stop looking at that gleam in the eyes of the bride and the groom until he heard Seamus speak.

"I, Seamus Finnegan, take you, Lavender Brown, to be my wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part, according to God's holy law."

He sounded so _serious_, so grown up. Harry could hardly believe that this was the Seamus Finnegan he met about ten years ago, when he began at Hogwarts.

"I, Lavender Brown, take you, Seamus Finnegan, to be my husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part, according to God's holy law."

Harry was also blown away by her serious tone of voice, though you could sense happiness beneath it, about to burst, and tears also began to fill Lavender's glassy hazel eyes. _She's come a long way from Won-Won_, thought Harry with a grin.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the minister announced, and everyone clapped as Seamus grabbed Lavender and kissed her with a fiery passion so that she was dipped over and prevented from falling to the ground only by his grasp, and yet she seemed utterly calm and at peace, and more witches sobbed. In fact, Harry thought he heard one near him. He turned and looked to see, much to his amazement, thick, hot, tears rolling down Luna's rosy cheeks.

"Luna?" Harry asked, wrapping his arm around her. "I never knew you got so emotional over weddings." It seemed so weird that _Luna Lovegood_ had something in common with so many other witches in the church.

"They-" she started, but was interrupted by her own hiccup, "-just look so _happy._ I've known-" _hiccup _"-Lavender and Seamus for so many years-" _hiccup_ "-through Dumbledore's Army, and I never could have guessed they'd get married!" Her voice steadied. "And it's impossible to miss! The way they look at each other. The way he kissed her. Everyone deserves to be that happy. Everyone. It makes me quite sad that there are some people out there who don't have that! I never thought I'd want to get married, you know. It was a bit of a practical joke to me. But today - I think - today has changed that. And what if you don't want that? And what if you don't want to be with me anymore?" It all spilled out from her, and she sounded so young, and fragile, and vulnerable. No one seemed to notice, as they were all lining up to congratulate the newlyweds.

Harry wiped the tears from her cheeks. He knew he couldn't attempt to sound eloquent. When he was with Luna, he just poured out his feelings from his heart. There was no filter. There was no attempt to lie, or hide anything. It felt odd, but extremely natural. It was Luna that let him have those feelings, and he couldn't bear to see her so sad.

"I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with someone who makes me as happy as Lavender makes Seamus," Harry said adamantly. "And I want nothing more than to be with you right now. Okay, Luna?"

"I-" she began, but stopped, her silvery eyes focused on the floor, which was extremely unusual, as they nearly always met Harry's, unflinching.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Never mind," Luna replied, blushing. "I'm never this emotionally on edge. It must be the Wrackspurts from such a huge crowd."

"What were you going to say?" Harry pressed, tucking a strand of Luna's flaxen hair behind her ear, as it had gotten stuck to her tear-stained cheek.

"Well, if this makes any sense, I just thought that I saw a bit of myself in Lavender's eyes."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve - All I Want For Christmas Is You

_Did I propose to Luna?_

_No. I just said I wanted nothing more to spend the rest of my life with someone who makes me as happy as Lavender makes Seamus. _

_And that I wanted nothing more than to be with Luna._

_Does that make those two the same things? I wonder if she saw it that way._

_No, I'm just a blithering idiot. She'd be able to tell if I was proposing._

_Was I?_

_Of course not. It's been two months. Even Ron waited five months, but he'd known Hermione forever, anyways. _

_She said she saw herself in Lavender! Does that mean she wants to marry me?_

_Shut up!_

"Harry, are you alright? You haven't been talking very much, and you look upset." Hermione noted, eyes narrowed with suspicion and concern. Her chestnut-colored hair was gathered into a thick, sloppy bun, and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Luna were all gathered on a squashy couch in front of the crackling fireplace, steaming mugs of hot cocoa cupped in their hands, wearing thick, soft sweaters knitted by Mrs. Weasley. They were early Christmas presents; seeing as Harry and Luna weren't going to spend Christmas with the Weasley family, Molly decided to give all four of them their gifts early since they were celebrating Christmas Eve together.

It still hadn't snowed, much to Harry and Ron's dismay. They had been looking forward to a snowball fight.

"Wrackspurts got you?" Luna whispered, so close to him that her lips just barely tickled the side of his face.

Harry snapped back to reality immediately, and forced his thoughts to stop battling with each other. "Sorry. I'm just really tired," he lied, and he could tell by the looks in the eyes of both Hermione and Luna that they weren't convinced. He yawned for good measure, nearly ripping his crimson sweater with a golden H embroidered into its center.

They let the matter drop. They all really were quite tired, honestly. After Harry and Luna had given Ron and Hermione their presents, they had spent the entire afternoon playing Quidditch (or, rather, Harry and Ron played whilst Luna and Hermione watched) and then roamed Hogsmeade for hours. As the evening began, they had gone to visit Harry's Godson, the ever-hyper Metamorphagus toddler, Teddy Lupin. Harry had bought him a miniature broomstick for Christmas, and watched him zoom around on it for nearly an hour, feeling nostalgic…

He realized that Luna was asleep on his shoulder, breathing in and out. Harry found it fascinating to watch her body oscillate slowly, and his thoughts drifted back to the same battle he had been fighting with himself earlier.

"What time is it?" Ron asked a few minutes later. He had dozed off, and sounded disoriented. His red hair was tousled and Hermione quickly patted it down for him. Ron's, unlike Harry's, obeyed.

"Nearly eleven," Hermione said, "And I'm about to collapse with exhaustion. We're _so_ pathetic."

"We used to pull all-nighters like it was our job," Ron recalled.

"Remember when we didn't sleep for three nights straight, and we used up all of your dad's supply of energy potions?" Harry snickered.

"He and mum were _livid_," Ron said, remembering the day all too clearly. The three of them groaned in unison.

"So, Harry," Hermione said, "you never answered me. Are you doing alright? You and Luna?"

"What? Oh - yeah!" Harry said quickly, recuperating from another mind-battle with himself. "Really well."

Ron and Hermione didn't look convinced.

"If there's something wrong, mate-" Ron began.

"No, Ron, everything's going great! That's the problem…" Harry sighed. He didn't even make sense to himself.

"You lost me," Ron smiled. Even Hermione looked confused.

"It's just that - we love each other," Harry started, the word love still sounding a bit foreign in his mouth as he attempted to explain his situation to his two best friends, "But where do we go from here, y'know? Wait - that sounded bad - I just mean, when do I know when we should take it to the next step…" Ron snickered. "Not in a physical way!" Harry added hastily. "I thought you two might understand… I'm absolute rubbish at explaining things, you know that!"

Hermione stared at him, eyes wide. "You're so obviously head-over-heels in love, Harry!" she stated as if it were the most evident thing in the universe. "You can't be talking about _marriage, _though, can you? It's been less than two months-"

"I know that, Hermione - but - how do you know… when you know?" he asked, stumbling over his words. He couldn't believe he was asking such a question. He never really, truly, deeply thought about _marriage. _What an odd concept. Sure, he'd bought a wedding ring when he intended to propose to Ginny - a rather awful memory he tended to avoid thinking about - but he never really pictured himself watching Luna and Xenophilius walk down the aisle, waiting at the end; he never thought about spending the _rest of his life _with someone, but with Luna, it just seemed like a natural course of action.

_Too much, too soon, _he scolded himself.

"Luna doesn't exactly seem like the wedding type, does she?" Ron asked.

"She didn't seem like it to me, either, but she was crying at Seamus and Lavender's wedding. She said she saw herself in Lavender's eyes, the way she looked at Seamus, I suppose. Whatever that means," Harry replied, deep in thought. "Girls are confusing enough, and then you've got-"

"-Luna," Ron and Hermione said in unison. The three of them chuckled as Luna's gentle breaths became less and less frequent, indicating her descent into slumber.

"You'll know when you know," Hermione said suddenly, looking deep into Ron's eyes. Ron nodded and blushed, his cheeks as red as his hair.

"It's hard to explain, mate," Ron said as he saw Harry's confused expression.

"Harry, you're usually absolute rubbish with girls. You're making progress; don't be too hard on yourself. I never thought I'd say this, but don't plan ahead," Hermione said, smiling. "I never thought I'd be here right now. But everything's worked out perfectly!"

Harry and Ron nodded, and the golden trio nodded off into deep, uninterrupted sleep.

Harry woke to Luna humming a Christmas tune while skipping around the room and Ron and Hermione at the table eating breakfast.

"About time," Ron laughed. "Usually I'm the one who just won't wake up."

"Why didn't you wake me?" Harry asked crossly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Merry Christmas to you, too," Hermione grinned.

"Blimey, I forgot!" Harry exclaimed. "Happy Christmas, Hermione," he said, rising on unsteady feet from his sleep and hugging her. "You too, Ron. And where'd Luna just skip off to?"

Hermione sighed. "Probably to the backyard. She's been looking for a gnome to get bitten by all morning. She woke up ages before us. She woke me up, actually, calling for gnomes all across the village."

Ron roared with laughter and Harry smiled slightly to himself. _Luna's really something special_, he thought to himself.

"I'll go find her," Harry offered, and walked outside, sloppily combing his tangled hair with his fingers, though it did nothing to tame it. He stepped outside into the fresh, frigid air. Snow was lightly falling and powdering the earth like Mrs. Weasley sifting flour. Harry was overcome with joy. Perhaps he and Ron could have a snowball fight later if the snow continued to fall. It wasn't thick enough now; it was merely a beautiful, pearly sheen when, mixed with the bright rays of sun, glinted fiercely. He walked barefoot to the backyard, following Luna's hum.

He found her in a thick green sweater with richly dyed purple drainpipe jeans, her hair hanging down naturally in hip-length waves. Her hair looked twice as pale-blonde as it usually did, her skin was orcelain white as the sun and snow beat down on it, and her lips were tinged with the slightest shade of blue. She looked like a doll to Harry. A beautiful doll. He knew she was tougher than that, though. He walked over to her slowly.

"Happy Christmas, Luna," he said, sitting next to her on snow-glazed grass.

"Your feet. Are they cold?" Luna asked him, smiling ever so vaguely. Harry recalled a conversation they had years ago…

She shivered. He wrapped his arm around her.

"Thank you," she whispered, turning to him. Their faces were mere inches apart. She stared at him, unflinching as always.

"Thanks for being with me," he whispered back.

"Thanks for helping me keep the Wrackspurts away."

She leaned in and kissed him, softly and gently and innocently. He could feel her cheeks warming up and the warm breath from her nose tickling his cold face.

All Harry wanted was her. Forever. It would always be so and never be otherwise. Her quirks were what made her, her, and he wouldn't trade them for anything.

"Happy Christmas, Harry," she murmured into his ear. "Thank God I took down all the mistletoe here before Hermione woke up. Otherwise, we might've been fighting off Nargles right about now."

He was still smiling as he kissed her once more.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I'm sorry these chapters have been relatively short. This story is going somewhere, I promise; I'm just really busy with school and whatnot. Ugh, I wish I could drop out. In the meantime, please leave lots and lots of reviews? I'm glad so many people enjoy my story! Also, you guys should follow a HarryLuna blog I made if you have a Tumblr account: .com! **


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Still super busy with school, though I have the ending and nearly everything for this story all planned out so it's just a matter of having time to write it. Shouldn't be too long now, though. Thanks for bearing with me. PLEASE leave a review so I know what I'm doing well and what I can improve upon. Thanks! :)**

Chapter Thirteen - Welcome to Mystery

The Christmas festivities at the Lovegood home were, as expected, thoroughly odd.

Xenophilius invited only his coworkers from the Quibbler and it was quite a small crowd, though Harry was sure that the neighbors never would have guessed it. Fireworks were exploding from the moment the sun went down in a brilliant splatter of yellow and pink, and there was plenty of Steaming Strawberry Sorbet to go around as a substitute for Butterbeer, which resulted in the melting of snow within half a mile. A band was playing covers of Celestina Warbeck, including A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love, and the Christmas dinner included plimpy soup, which made Harry a bit nauseous, and a thick, creamy pink mixture that tasted oddly citrusy. For dessert, there were usual things, like Chocolate Cauldrons and a Christmas tree shaped cake that Hermione had prepared for Harry to bring, but there were also Lovegood-esque dishes such as Plimpy Pot-Pie and a Nargle-Repelling bright purple fruit Harry didn't dare touch and toxic-green tarts that Luna ate eagerly, though they turned her ears a bright shade of orange.

Harry and Luna decided to sit and talk and play wizard's chess (which Luna easily won), Exploding Snap, and a Muggle game Luna had gotten her hands on that Harry reckoned was called something along the lines of Monopolice upstairs for most of the night rather than dance, seeing as neither of them enjoyed dancing very much, but Xenophilius insisted that they come down for the slow dance and to see the final fireworks display, a great, vivid explosion of colors and shapes and swirls.

Harry and Luna had planted the engagement ring Harry had bought for Ginny so long ago and planted it at the core of the blazing magical rockets (another one of Luna's great ideas; Harry had immediately complied) and the gold ring and huge, once-sparkling diamond adorning it were successfully smashed into oblivion, leaving Harry even more refreshed than usual.

As the party was approaching its end at around midnight, Harry took Luna to the backyard, which was empty and quiet (or at least, quieter), as there was one last piece of unfinished business before she departed for her trip to see her cousins in Ireland until the beginning of February.

"Thanks for inviting me, Luna. This has been great," he said genuinely, her hand clasped in his, her thumb absentmindedly rubbing the back of his hand soothingly.

"The pleasure is mine, Harry! Did you enjoy the fireworks? Daddy and I have been working on those since August," she replied with a smile he could nearly feel through the thick, cold darkness.

"They were wonderful," he said. "There's just one problem."

"I knew we should have set them up more to the west... They align better with the stars that way," she sighed.

He shook his head, chuckling. "It's nothing to do with the position of the fireworks, Luna. It's just that... I won't be able to see you on New Year's. So we won't get to have our-"

"New Year's kiss," they finished in unison.

Saying things simultaneously was something they had been doing quite a bit lately. Who knew his mind was on the same track as Luna Lovegood's?

_Well_, he told himself, _great minds think alike. And we do understand each other better than anybody._

"Hm..." Luna thought for a second. "I've got it!" she exclaimed happily.

"What?" asked Harry anxiously. "I can't go to Ireland, Shacklebolt would fire me for missing so much work. And you're not going to leave your cousins for me, don't even think about it. You haven't seen them in ages!"

"No, silly. We'll just use our imagination!" she said.

"I've been told I don't have one," Harry frowned.

"Mine's enough for the both of us, I'd say. Now, we're going to pretend that it's New Years right when the last and grandest firework goes off at midnight, which is in a few seconds. And we're going to have that kiss, Harry Potter," she said with a sly grin.

Before Harry could answer her, the grand midnight firework went up with a raucous hiss, then broke into an ear-splitting pop as its golden tentacles splattered across the great dark sky.

And then, before he could react, Luna kissed him.

It was deep and passionate and he could taste traces of citrus on her soft lips and she rubbed her hands on his firm chest as he wrapped her petite, gentle body in his arms.

It could have been seconds, or minutes, or hours, or an eternity, but they held each other, and she ran her fingers through his matted hair and then they finally broke apart, her lips slightly swollen.

Silver eyes met green. Unflinching.

"Well?" she said expectantly.

"I loved it. Not as much as I love you, but still loads," he said breathlessly, still holding her in his arms.

"I'm going to miss you more than Wrackspurts miss inhabiting your head," Luna said seriously, frowning a bit, though after their kiss, Harry doubted that either he or she could really be upset.

"I'll miss you more than your father misses having you all to himself," Harry said jokingly, and they laughed in the bitter cold, holding each other to keep from hypothermia. They need only look at each other, and they knew exactly what the other was thinking.

Harry knew that when Luna looked up into the sky, she was scared and looking for her mum, and when she was happy, she'd wriggle her toes and wrinkle her nose as she laughed. He knew how she counted the number of corks on her necklace when she was bored, and he knew the meaning of each ring she wore. He knew that her dirigible plum earrings supposedly made her wiser, though he was sure she didn't need them, and he knew that her most ticklish spot was right above her belly-button. He could go on for days like this. He knew things about Luna that people often didn't notice. People forgot that she was a woman, not just a war hero and The Chosen One's chosen one. Harry knew that she always walked in peace and love and though she carried an aura of unconventionality, Harry knew that she was perfect the exact way she was.

There were just some things you couldn't even believe you knew about someone, but it comes with spending hours and days and weeks and months in their company. There are some people who become uglier as you get to know them, and then there are the rare ones who become even more unbelievably beautiful the longer you know them, and Luna was that person to Harry just as Harry was that person to Luna.

Luna knew exactly what recurring dream woke Harry in the early morning nearly in cardiac arrest. She understood exactly how his almond-shaped eyes saw the world. Luna knew his fear of love and commitment, and secretly prided herself in the fact that she had helped him move past this. She knew of all of his physical abnormalities, not just his trademark scar, but the freckle on his shoulder-blade and the way his thumb could bend back more than the average person's could. She knew things about the Boy Who Lived that people often overlooked, things that showed that he was a man, not just a hero, not just a legend.

He knew Luna, and she knew Harry. Everything about them was in perfect harmony, and with every breath they took, they were thankful for each other.

Even their shivers in the pitch-black, snowy night were in sync.

Through ten seconds of eye contact, they exchanged all their love and thoughts and understanding with each other, and then it was time for them to part.

* * *

><p>The next few weeks passed much too slowly for Harry's liking; even slower than he expected. The clock at work seemed to taunt him by inching by at the pace of a stupefied snail, and the only relief he found was spending each evening over at Ron and Hermione's cottage for dinner. They frequently spoke of Luna gave Harry advice and complimented him on the fact that he had finally found a stable and healthy and genuinely loving relationship. Ginny and Neville remained incognito and at the back of Harry's mind; his midnight thoughts centered around why she'd choose Neville over Harry or why Harry wasn't enough became less and less frequent. His thoughts were focused mainly on Luna and the rest of his friends. He missed Luna, but their frequent letters to each other tided him over. He would never admit this in a million years, but he kept them, along with the pressed flowers and crystal phials of Irish pixie dust that Luna sent to him, in a drawer in Sirius's room, next to his mother's letter to Sirius from so long ago. It felt like the only proper thing to do with them. He fell asleep at night with one of her letters in his hand, the smell of fresh Irish air and woodsy-scented perfume she dipped her parchment in wafting into his nose and inducing wonderful dreams of the two of them, together.<p>

__Dear Harry,  
>You would never guess how many Wrackspurts were present when I first arrived at my cousins' home! You might've thought they were Muggles had you just seen the amount. Don't worry, I'm working on the situation.<br>Ireland is quite beautiful. Everything is very green. I do like the color green. It reminds me of your eyes. I like your eyes.  
>My cousins are watching me write this, actually. They said they'd like to meet you. Perhaps they'll visit before they board the Hogwarts Express for the first time this year! You would get on just great with them, I know it. My aunt and uncle say to send you their greetings. They're nothing like your aunt and uncle, don't worry. You'd like them, too.<br>Daddy and I are also busy researching various plants and animals to report in the Quibbler. Just yesterday, we found a four leaf clover and a flower that causes your eyebrows to grow thorns. It wasn't a pretty sight... Anyways, Daddy sends his greetings.  
>This morning, I could have sworn I spotted a Blibbering Humdinger, and the waters here are filled with plimpies! Tomorrow, my aunt's friend is taking me to a dragon sanctuary. I'll draw pictures and send them to you soon. I do hope you're making the most of your winter; the snow won't last forever!<br>When I get back home in February, let's have a slumber party! My aunt fashioned me very comfortable pyjamas and insists on making you a pair!  
>Is tú mo ghrá (That's Gaelic Irish for "I love you"),<br>Luna__

He smiled and hastily scribbled a reply, wishing Hermione was nearby to help him. Harry was rubbish at expressing feelings through words, and spent nearly an hour on a rather short letter. He knew Luna wouldn't mind, though, and that was another reason he loved her so. She understood that even if he couldn't express himself well with words, he still loved her more than anything. _Hell_, he thought, _she can probably picture me right now trying to write something romantic so I don't sound like a total prat, and she's probably laughing._

_Dear Luna,  
>I'm glad you like Ireland. I wish I could be there as it sounds you're doing a lot of interesting things, though I've tried to avoid dragons since fourth year and the incident at Gringotts a couple years back.<br>I'd love to meet your uncle, aunt, and cousins, and I promise I will one day. Say hello to them for me for now, and tell your dad I say hi!  
>I'm counting down the days until you get home, and I've already planned a Valentine's Day date for us. Please don't run off with an Irish bloke.<br>Keep me updated! It's rather dull without you here.  
>Missing you,<br>Harry_

He didn't know it, but Luna did the exact same thing with the letters he sent her, laughing herself to sleep as she realized he had wrote to her on the back of a crumpled Potions essay from his sixth year.

However, there was just one thing Harry knew that Luna did not, and that was his plan for Valentine's Day.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen - Potty Lurves Loony

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked as the trio sat in the warm kitchen of her home, sipping from steaming mugs of breakfast tea on a chilly February morning. Her thick mane of waves was gathered into a neat bun and she was snuggled in a cream turtleneck to shield her from any cold seeping in from the cottage's walls.

"Yeah, mate, you've been acting off this week. I know Luna's coming back next week, but no need to get so nervous about it," Ron added with a smile as he shoveled porridge into his mouth.

Harry's eyes met Hermione's for a moment, then he returned to staring at his mug of tea and the thin, dwindling string of steam rising from it. He decided he had no appetite; his stomach was far too filled with butterflies of anxiety and fear and excitement to the point of nausea. He slid the porcelain mug away from him and began to spin his wand in his fingers out of nervousness. He required the help of his two best friends, but the whole situation felt so surreal it was difficult to say the words out loud.

"Er-" Harry began, but his voice dwindled out. He could hardly believe what he was planning. It felt more insane than attempting to destroy the world's most powerful dark wizard.

_But __you __were __successful_, he reminded himself. _With __the __help __of __your __two __best __friends._

And there they sat in front of him, staring intently at their dear friend.

"We're not getting any younger here," Ron joked, and Harry laughed, though it was more of a dry croak.

"Sorry..."

Harry's voice trailed off.

Something in Hermione's mind seemed to snap, as she slowly lifted her head and her coffee-colored eyes went wide and lit up, a behavior pattern Harry and Ron were extremely familiar with. They both looked at her, and Harry half-hoped that she would just say what was on Harry's mind.

"What is it, Hermione?" Ron asked immediately.

"Harry James Potter!" she squealed, popping up from her cushioned wooden chair and grabbing Harry's face excitedly. "You're going to do it, aren't you?"

Harry fiddled with a teaspoon and broke it cleanly in two, having to take out his anxiety on something. His cheeks flushed a brilliant scarlet at Hermione's words, matching his Gryffindor sweater.

The first place he felt like home...

But not the last.

He mumbled a few strings of incomprehensible words to Ron and Hermione, and the three extremely excited young adults got up, held hands, and disappeared with a loud _pop_.

* * *

><p>"Luna," Harry said softly, unable to contain his smile once they were alone.<p>

"Don't break your cheeks," she replied with an equally large grin, her eyes seemingly nearly popping with excitement.

She had just returned from Ireland (her father had to do extra research for a Quibbler article and wouldn't return for another week or two) and Harry had met her at her home. They were sitting on her soft bed, casually flicking their wands to unpack her suitcases. The sun was high and bright and the skies were clear - perfect Quidditch weather - but there was nowhere Harry would rather be. He had missed Luna too much.

"How was your vacation?" he asked, genuinely curious. Luna always had an interesting story to tell.

"It was simply sublime!" she enthused, tightening her grip on Harry's hand. He made sure that she didn't get too close. "I tamed a dragon!"

Harry's jaw dropped. "You could have been killed," he began, "but I know you can handle it. I just can't help but worry..."

"You always have faith in me, Harry. No one else believed I could do it. Daddy especially didn't want me to. He said dragons send out microscopic germs that latch onto your ears and crawl into your brain!"

Harry laughed. "I must've been infested with those since fourth year, then," he joked.

"I always did wonder how you did it. You always surprise me. You didn't know me when I was in my third year, but as soon as I saw you steal the golden egg from the dragon, I was a bit... interested, for lack of a better word. You were such a confusing character. I sensed pain. But you were still so hard to read. The hardest for me to ever read, in fact. Then, once I spoke to you in my fourth year, it all sort of clicked. I just understood what you were saying with your eyes... and your lips... It's quite hard to explain. Nargles got my thoughts," she said, sounding the least bit frustrated.

"Lips?" he said, widening his eyes comically.

She nodded.

"And I can tell that you want a kiss right now," she said, an accurate guess, planting her soft lips onto his. He had missed this feeling dearly; his heart somersaulted as she gently twirled the ends of his hair with her slender and gentle fingers.

"Luna," he said abruptly, pulling apart to take a deep breath. He was unable to contain it any longer. "There's somewhere I want to go with you."

With no further questions, she extended her arm.

"Where are we, Harry?" she asked curiously, but before he could answer, she whispered, "Ah. Your home."

The couple stood at the edge of the Hogwarts grounds, the beautifully rebuilt school erected in the distance, warming Harry's heart.

_Hogwarts __and __Luna, _he smiled to himself. _What __a __vision._

He led her to the entrance of the castle. She did not question this, though she raised a faint eyebrow.

"McGonagall gave me permission, don't worry," Harry said hastily. "There's just… Something I've got to show you." His heart felt as though it was beating in his throat, his dry throat, and he was sure Luna could feel it through their intertwined fingers. He looked down at them to make sure that the burning red hue in his face had not spread to his hands, and calmed slightly as he saw her fingertips, coated with vivid blue polish, were dancing casually, per usual, on top of his knuckles.

"Lead the way, Mr. Potter," she said with a mysterious grin.

They entered through the great doors of Hogwarts, and Harry felt the rush of thousands of memories crashing over him. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he did neither. Luna inhaled deeply.

"It still smells the same," she whispered to him. "It's such a beautiful place."

Harry nodded, surveying the desolate area as they continued to walk towards a familiar hall. No one was there, just like McGonagall had promised. There was a Quidditch game, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, taking place, and Harry made a mental note that if all went well, he'd convince Luna to go watch it with him.

He prayed she didn't take notice of the fact that he was leading her to the Fat Lady's corridor, a place where Harry had once felt his stomach lifted of the weight of what felt like dozens of stones, a place where Harry's stomach was now overflowing with what he was certain were millions of butterflies.

They reached the corridor. The Fat Lady was taking her usual afternoon nap, and Nearly Headless Nick could be heard arguing with The Bloody Baron somewhere in the distance. Harry couldn't help but smile, despite his anxiety. Hogwarts seemed to force him to calm down, and he was filled with nostalgic euphoria.

"I wonder if my shoes are still hung up on the archway," Luna said curiously, breaking the silence.

"You remember, then?" Harry asked, knowing that perhaps the most important moment of his existence was soon coming.

"Of course. How could I forget? You were the first person I talked about my mum with," she replied softly.

"I had no idea," he said, blushing but pleased that Luna had confided in him such a long time ago, even before he was hopelessly in love with her. "Why did you leave the shoes?"

"Oh, for someone else to have, I suppose. I do quite like going around barefoot. It makes me feel rather free," she said serenely.

"I know what you mean. Mostly because you hid my shoes from me when we went on that picnic, remember?" Harry laughed.

"How could I forget?" she asked, squeezing his hand more tightly.

His eyes met hers for the first time all day. He regretted avoiding them - they were so beautiful - even if it meant risking that she could read him and his motives like an article from The Quibbler.

"You've helped me so much, Luna," Harry said seriously. An odd feeling rose in him, and it was a few moments before he realized that he had to act now - he could contain it no longer.

She stood in her blue, paisley-patterned dress with contrasting lacy, bronze stockings and leather boots, watching the boy intently as he removed his hand from hers and reached into his pocket, trying not to fumble, though his fingers were trembling violently. She stood without speaking, expressionless, unflinching.

Harry thought his heart might stop beating as he realized that he was really doing this. This was no dream, though he had dreamed about this moment many times. He was holding a ring, an _engagement _ring, no less, in front of Luna Artemis Lovegood.

Her mouth spread into a bright grin, her eyes widening even further than Harry imagined was humanly possible, seemingly absorbing the presence of the band, braided strips of silver and gold, with a sparkling diamond carved into the shape of a star resting atop it. She seemed unable to breathe and totally still, like a beautiful statue of pearly marble.

"I love you, Luna, I really do. And I know it might seem like it's too soon, but I feel invincible with you. I need you and I want you and I always will. No one understands me like you understand me, and that's why I can't be with anyone else," he said fiercely, the words spilling from him uncontrollably. He paused, regained his breath, and continued. "I'm rubbish with girls, I know. I always have been. I've always felt this pressure to be the perfect 'Boy Who Lived,' but with you, I can escape from all of that. You're - you're insanely perfect for me, Luna. We always have fun together, and we're always there for each other, and there's no one else I'd rather spend my life with."

His throat went slightly dry.

_Life. You can spend your entire life with Luna Lovegood._

_There__'__s __nothing __I __want __more,_he said surely to himself, shocked with newfound confidence and reassurance, and raw, honest words slipped out of his mouth in a more even flow.

"You taught me what true love was. There's no one in the world like you. There's no one else I can be with, not like this. I know we're young, but there's nothing I've been more sure that I wanted. I've thought about this for a really long time. Will you just - marry me?"

He stopped speaking; he could hardly think or move. She gently touched the band with her steady fingers. After what felt like an eternity of silence, she spoke in her dreamy voice Harry had learned to find as a great source of comfort.

"You know, Harry, for most of my life, I thought that marriage meant getting trapped. I thought it meant… always putting on shoes and cutting my hair and no more expeditions to foreign countries and no more researching creatures and astronomy and plants. But there's something about you that makes me so sure that I'll be even more liberated and happy if we're together. You confused me for a long time, and there's a part of you that will always keep me at edge, but I need that. In my fourth year, we became friends, and I knew we had a bond that I hadn't felt with anyone else, but I wasn't sure yet, because I was so young, and then a few years passed, and our destinies collided again over something, something difficult for you, but we bonded over that. And we grew past that and together, but for a while I was worried you were only using me as a replacement for Ginny. But I know now that we're meant to be, because there's no one else I can feel this way about and you've moved on from Ginny. I know that. I can see it in your eyes, and the way you talk, and the way your body moves.

"You make me feel like I'm in a dream, like I'm in my own universe all the time, because everything is so perfectly imperfect. We're both flawed people, but together, we fill each other in so that we're just right. You're my home, Harry, and if marriage will make it official, there's nothing I'd rather do than marry you," she finished, her cheeks ever-so-slightly flushing to a rosy pink.

Harry felt a rush of intense happiness he was sure he'd never felt. Without saying another word, he slid the ring onto Luna's outstretched hand and hungrily pressed his face against hers, kissing her with explosive love and longing.

_Life. __You__'__re __going __to __spend __your __entire __life __with __Luna __Lovegood, _Harry thought to himself as he deepened his kiss with his fiancé. Everything was so perfect Harry could have sworn he was simply looking into the Mirror of Erised, yet the sweet smell of her hair and taste of her lips assured him that it was all very real. The warmth from her small but strong body filled him with energy and ecstasy, and he never wanted to let go.

Finally, she pulled away from him, regaining her breath and raising her hand up to observe the ring.

"Star," she murmured curiously. "Why a star?"

He blushed, ran his fingers through his hair, straightened his spectacles, and breathed deeply, his world still spinning with excitement and pure bliss. "Hermione and Ron helped me with everything. Well, mostly Hermione," he admitted. "We had narrowed it down between a flower and a star, and the star seemed like a better fit. You're so bright, and hopeful, like a star to wish upon. You're different from everyone else, so a normal ring just wouldn't work… But if you prefer another one, we can exchange it! The goblin said-"

"Oh, no, Harry. You're so silly. This ring is perfect. Anything you could ever possibly give to me would be perfect. I'd take a Hippogriff feather as an engagement ring from you," she said.

"I'm glad you like it," Harry smiled.

"Shall we go alert McGonagall that the mission was a success?" she asked with a sly grin.

"You knew I'd put her up to this!" Harry exclaimed. "How?"

"You're awful at keeping secrets, especially from me, Harry," she responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Let's go," he said, unable to refrain from smiling. "Wait!" he remembered as soon as they began to walk out of Hogwarts and towards the Quidditch pitch. "There's one more thing about the ring."

He took her hand in his, squeezing it tightly.

"Watch the ring," he instructed.

Slowly, the couple observed the glimmering diamond shift into a scarlet ruby color, and a few seconds after that, change into a deep sapphire.

Luna gasped. "Gryffindor and Ravenclaw! It's wonderful," she whispered before planting Harry with a tender kiss, her lips just tickling his. He felt his entire body shiver.

"I love you so much," he said.

"Not as much as you love Quidditch," she joked. "Now, let's go watch the game. I can't wait to see Ravenclaw pummel Gryffindor. My ring will be so ashamed, it'll stop turning to ruby and just stay at sapphire."

"Now it's on!" he laughed, wrapping his arm around Luna's waist. "I'm still sure Gryffindor'll win. With Dennis Creevey as Seeker? Everyone says he's amazing. Almost as good as me."

"You should go on the field and show them the proper way to play Quidditch, seeing as you're the best player Hogwarts has ever seen," she replied with a smile.

"You should go be the commentator and find out who's suffering from Loser's Lurgy in this game," Harry responded, and they laughed to the point of nearly doubling over.

"It'll be one of the Gryffindors, that's for sure," Luna smirked.

They continued their casual bickering all the way to the Quidditch pitch, though Harry interrupted his fiancé occasionally with kisses, which she didn't seem to mind.

As far as Harry was concerned, this had to be the happiest any human being could ever possibly manage to be.

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><p><em>Well? Please leave a review! Thank you to everyone following this story. It means a lot. :)<em>


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen - Til Death Do Us Part

Harry could hardly believe that the day had already come.

He and Luna had long ago decided that the engagement would be a short one, that the wedding would not be a huge ordeal, that it would be a few friends and close relatives, that it would be short and quick and then they would escape to their honeymoon, with planned stops in Tokyo, Athens, Venice, Paris, and, of course, Stockholm (the search for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks had a bit to do with it, Luna admitted). They had chosen the humble Godric's Hollow church, St. Clementine's, as the location for the ceremony, and the festivities were to take place, at the request of Xenophilius, at Luna's home.

_Well, __not __for __much __longer_, Harry thought to himself happily. _Then, __we__'__ll __be __living __at __Grimmauld __Place__…_

Harry looked in the ornate, gold-encrusted mirror in the room at the back of the church as he prepared for what he was sure was one of the most important and surreal-feeling moments of his lifetime. The brilliant spring sun was at its peak. Harry smiled as he realized that it was the 27th of March - his father's birthday. Harry could not physically feel sadness - he was too excited, too happy, too nervous - and instead felt a sense of pride as he was sure his father watched over him, along with his mother, Sirius, Lupin, and all of the others who had given their lives for Harry. In fact, at Luna's request, the first row in the church was to be left empty - as she put it, the ones who had left had not really left at all, and would indeed be in attendance watching the ceremony.

"It's for my mum, Harry's mum and dad, Remus, Tonks and her dad, Fred, Sirius, Cedric, Dumbledore, Snape, Colin, Moody, and even Dobby and Hedwig," Luna explained. "So, we have to be sure to leave the first row or two open, okay?"

Harry sobered as he buttoned his sleek black robe and remembered the look that had fallen on Hermione's face; she had been doing most of the planning.

_We__'__ll __see __them __again_, Harry told himself, remembering what Luna had told him on that day after Sirius' death so many years ago. _In __the __meantime, __I__'__d __better __try __to __fix __my __hair__…_

"Oh, Harry, your hair never lies flat, does it?" Harry heard Hermione groan as she watched him attempt to flatten the surprisingly powerful tufts of jet-black hair.

"Not even for my wedding day," Harry shrugged. "I didn't expect it to."

Hermione smiled, her eyes shining with tears of joy. "I'm so happy you're happy, Harry. I can't believe you're marrying _Luna_, of all people, but it's worked out so well!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been helping with all of the planning. And you're the one who gave me all the advice, remember? I'd probably still be moping in my bedroom alone if it weren't for you-"

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione blurted, sprinting towards him in a wave of silky periwinkle fabric and wrapping him in a hug tighter than Devil's Snare. "I can't believe we're all going to be married soon! Just think, in a few years we'll be organizing play-dates for our children!"

"Hermione!" Harry groaned, but hugged back tightly nonetheless. "Where's the best man?" he asked as he resumed his futile efforts of flattening his hair.

"Right here, mate," Ron said, dashing into the room hurriedly. "Just escaped Krum… It's a miracle I didn't hex him right there, he's been asking me if I'm still with 'Hermy-own-ninny,' I still don't know why you invited that bloody Bulgarian," he complained. "Oh, and good luck, Harry. I'll pretty much be standing next to you the whole time, if you need me." The two men laughed, and Hermione looked embarrassed and flattered simultaneously.

"Thanks, Ron. And I had to invite him! McGonagall told me once that it's a tradition to invite your fellow Triwizard champions to your wedding. That's why Fleur did it, I reckon, she's never really liked him much," Harry explained.

"Yeah, she always complains that 'ee is much too aggressive,'" Hermione chimed in. "Sorry to break up your fuzzy little reunion, but the wedding's starting in about ten minutes. I'm going to check up on Luna, seeing as I'm her maid of honor." She disapparated with a quiet pop, leaving Harry and Ron alone in the back room of the church.

"McGonagall's here, you know," Harry informed Ron. "She's the one who let me go back to Hogwarts with Luna to propose."

"Blimey, Harry, who else have you invited?" Ron asked with wide eyes. Harry knew that McGonagall had always slightly scared him.

"Most of Dumbledore's Army, Luna's family, Slughorn, Trelawney, Hagrid, Ollivander, Andromeda, Teddy, Oliver, and a countless amount of Weasleys," Harry replied with a smile. "Oh, and Draco. I never thought he'd be at my wedding, but he's really changed."

"I think he's under the Imperius Curse, if you ask me… And I could've sworn I saw Nearly Headless Nick zooming around somewhere-"

"As long as Peeves didn't tag along with him."

"Are you nervous?" Ron asked after a moment of complete silence.

"What do you think?" Harry responded wryly.

"I've been where you are, mate. Hell, you've been where I am. It's awful but great at the same time, you know?" Ron said knowledgably.

"Yeah. I just want it to be over soon. I wouldn't have minded just inviting you and Hermione, but I owe it to a lot of people…"

"You've invited about a fourth of the people that Hermione and I did!" Ron protested. "We had ours in a bloody backyard and people were lined up all the way to Hogwarts!" he exaggerated.

"You mean, your mum invited," Harry laughed. "Anyways, the ceremony will be short, I expect, and then we'll go to Luna's-"

"You've got the elves making food, right? Hermione'll insist we pay them," Ron scoffed.

"Winky would probably cry if we offered her money, and Kreacher'll probably want to pay your mum for letting us borrow him…" Harry's voice trailed off. The subject of Ginevra Weasley was fast approaching, and it was not so much that speaking of her upset Harry - he was far past caring so much - he just preferred that the conversation with his best friend before his wedding not be tainted with the awkwardness that accompanied mentioning her and Ron's strained relationship with her.

"She's cooled down, Harry. She's not going to crash your wedding because no one's home guarding her," Ron said with a genuine grin, suddenly turning quickly to alarm. "Now, let's go. In case you've gone deaf, the music's starting!"

Harry felt his stomach drop, like it had fallen off of a Firebolt during a Quidditch match. He ran his fingers through his hair one last time before his palms went sweaty, and took a much-needed deep breath.

"Are you ready, mate?" Ron asked, smiling merrily. "You okay?"

"Never better. Let's go."

As Harry and Ron took their places at the front of the church next to the priest and other groomsmen (Oliver Wood, Bill, and George), he could hardly believe that this, his wedding, was happening. To Luna Lovegood, of all people.

_Luna __Potter_, he remembered. _She__'__s __going __to __be __Luna __Potter. _The name sounded beautiful in his head.

He disregarded the multitudes of eyes on him and stood stiffly at the altar, greeting the priest politely. His name was Father O'Marron, and he was the priest that had baptized Harry. As a surprise, Luna had tracked him down and requested that he perform their wedding. The extremely old wizard, with only a few wisps of white hair plastering his leathery face, was more than happy to fulfill her wish and Harry was more than happy that his fiancé was such a caring and wonderful person.

The music changed, and Harry realized that this meant that Luna would be walking down the aisle with her father soon. The bright room, once vibrating with excited chatter, went silent as the band played Xenophilius' own composition in lieu of the traditional wedding song; it was a whimsical melody that sounded as though nature had gathered into a select group of instruments and let their music echo throughout the church.

The flower girls - Luna's triplet cousins - tossed floating, shimmering petals of magical flowers that seemed to radiate a light of their own and sink slowly and lazily through the air. Their dresses matched the silky silver-blue of the flower petals, but Harry paid no attention to such a silly thing as that the moment Luna stepped into the church.

It was as if everything had stopped except for her - Harry noticed not Xenophilius, nor the flower girls joining their parents in the second row, nor the noticeably empty first row causing whispers throughout the pews, nor the groomsmen eyeing Fleur and Gabrielle, Luna's only other bridesmaids besides Hermione. Harry was sure that all the veela gathered together in the world could never divert his attention from the beauty emanating from Luna. He took off his spectacles and put them on again, to make sure he was seeing clearly - Luna had always been gorgeous, but she looked absolutely divine. Harry did not even hear Hermione and Mrs. Weasley's sobs, or Ron's chuckle, or George whispering, "He's whipped, he is," and Bill and Oliver laughing and nodding in agreement.

Her skin was glowing in the sunlight that seeped into the small church through the stained-glass windows, little smudges of faded ruby-red and sapphire-blue dancing across her immaculate face Harry could almost feel the smoothness of. She was smiling, causing a sort of contagious joy to spread throughout her entire being and all the way to Harry, and her smile was as unwavering as her glimmering silver eyes, wide and surprised and gleeful. Her star-shaped earrings, made to match with her dazzling ring, were silver - or perhaps, they were clear, and absorbed the shimmering and reflecting grey of her eyes - and her hair was braided, braided again, and then wrapped into a thick golden bun, like a heavenly work of art. Her walk was sure and confident and goddess-like, and then Harry noticed her dress as she was nearly halfway to the altar.

It was a long, floaty fabric of many layers, crafted with the lightest silver that glowed and sparkled as though it were flecked with diamonds, cinched at the waist and clinging tightly to her chest, but at her hips it relaxed and flowed until it seemed to slowly fade into nothingness as it approached her ankles.

After what felt like forever - Harry was sure he could simply watch her forever - she stood across him at the altar, and he noticed a nearly-transparent veil hanging from a thin braided silver circlet atop her head.

"Beautiful… Luna, you look beautiful," he breathed, finally able to speak. He fought the urge to kiss her right here, telling himself that it was only a few more minutes before they would be bonded for life, and he would get to spend every second with her, and they would be going off on their own for some time…

She whispered, "That's a very nice thing to say," before the priest cleared his voice to speak.

"We are gathered here in the sight of God and these witnesses to unite Harry James Potter and Luna Artemis Lovegood in holy matrimony. Harry and Luna, as you prepare to take these vows, give careful thought and prayer, for as you make them, you are making an exclusive commitment to one another for as long as you both shall live. Your love for each other should never be diminished by difficult circumstances, and it is to endure until death parts you," he warbled happily.

Harry was listening intently and yet everything was a blur of joy - he was much too overwhelmed with happiness and Luna.

The priest continued as Harry's emerald eyes met with Luna's silver eyes and refused to part. He wanted so badly to touch her, to talk to her…

"If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Suddenly, there was a loud _BOOM, _followed by a series of noises that sounded like firecrackers going off. Everyone turned, in shock, to face the source of the noise - the entrance into the church - and Harry nearly doubled over as he saw who stood there, surrounded by the flaming remnants of the doorway, a tornado of ashes crowning the girl who made all the wrong choices.

"I have just cause!" shrieked Ginevra Weasley, her once-bright eyes clouded and her luminous skin faded to a sickly pallor.

Harry could not believe that this was reality, that this was happening, that Ginny Weasley had come to destroy his wedding. Mrs. Weasley cried out and fainted on the spot, the crowd gasped as if it were some sort of television program, and Ron growled, "'She's cooled down, Harry. She's not going to crash your wedding, Harry.' Famous last words!"

Hermione raised her wand and pointed it at Ginny, who had made no other attempts to move or speak. "Get out of here! Now! Or I'll hex you out. How dare you ruin his wedding after you just about ruined his life?" Hermione yelled, instigating a cheer from Hagrid. Ron ran up next to Hermione and pointed his wand at his sister, followed by George, Bill, Oliver, Percy, Charlie, Dean, Seamus, Lavender, and other various members of Dumbledore's Army - Harry did not notice who. He was shielding Luna, his wand pointed at Ginny and already releasing sparks out of sheer rage. Mr. Weasley was murmuring spells to Mrs. Weasley, attempting to reawaken her. Kingsley and Krum pointed their wands towards Ginny, and even Draco stood up next to them with his blackthorn wand in his hand, though it was not yet raised.

"Harry, I'm okay. Let's listen to her… Maybe we can help her…" Luna attempted to calm him and make him see through his blind anger. He took a deep breath.

"You can't marry Luna, Harry! You love me! You love me!" Ginny shouted, stepping closer to him. "Will you all put down your wands? Mine's already back in my pocket!" she continued. Her wand was indeed tucked in her pocket, much to Harry's surprise.

"Where'd you get that wand?" Harry thundered. "Yours was taken away!" Luna clutched his hand tightly.

"Neville, the poor thing, he'll probably be here soon, actually, I invited him along. He seemed a bit upset for some reason... He might as well have Luna back, seeing as I'm going to marry you," Ginny said confidently.

"You're insane. I'm not going to marry you! I'm here to marry Luna. Now get out, or I'll force you out!" Harry shouted, surprised he had not cursed her yet. Luna's comforting vibe spread through his veins, though it was getting tested - Harry's Gryffindor temper made him want to blast Ginny into oblivion. He tore himself from Luna and stepped towards her menacingly, his wand pointed threateningly at her chest.

"Oh, really?" Ginny said with a wicked smile. "Well, I'm not that easy to get rid of!" She stepped closer, so that she was only a few feet away from Harry. "You're going to marry _her_? Over _me_? Good luck marrying Luna if there is no Luna!"

Before Harry could think, spells were firing from his wand, spells he did not take the time to identify, but Ginny ducked to dodge them and resurfaced, wand in hand, and managed to block the spells coming at her in three directions - from Kingsley and Draco, from the Weasley boys and Hermione, and from Harry - and nimbly leapt for Luna while Luna drew her wand and blasted something into the wall, but she was too late, and her radiant eyes of silver met Harry's for the smallest second with a look of longing and fear and understanding, and Ginny's hand met Luna's, and the two young women disapparated with an earsplitting crack.

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><p><em>Well? What do you think? It's the first time I've written a wedding... Or at least, the beginning of one. Reviews are great. Thanks for reading! :)<em>


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen - Lost and Found

Before Harry could think clearly, before he could see past the anger blinding him, he realized that he was screaming.

Luna was gone.

Ginny had taken her.

His head spun and felt heavy and he doubled over as a wave - a tsunami - of guilt crashed into him. She was right there! He could have kept her safe. "I could have stopped this-"

"Harry!" Hermione yelled, picking him back up onto his feet. "Ron and I are getting everyone except for Dumbledore's Army and a few others, and we're going to find her," she said surely, and ran off, Ron trailing behind her.

"Harry, m'boy!" Harry heard a thunderous voice shout. His limbs felt like lead… He found it impossible to steady himself enough to stand up - everything was so light. Why was the sun shining if Luna was gone? Harry could not understand it.

"'Arry!" another voice bellowed. Harry looked up slowly to see Slughorn and Hagrid extending their arms. Before Harry could move, Hagrid simply picked him up and propped him against a pew. "I never coulda imagined-"

"Potter!" another man called. Harry turned to see Draco Malfoy and Kingsley Shacklebolt join the group crowded around him.

"We are going to find 'er, 'Arry!" Fleur said confidently. Harry's eyes widened - he saw McGonagall, Trelawney, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Charlie, Bill, Percy, George, Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Oliver, Seamus, Lavender, Lee, Dean, Dennis, Viktor, Ron, and Hermione gathered together around him, looking at each other anxiously.

"I escorted out everyone else; it's just us. Victoire and all of the other children are in good hands, Fleur, don't worry. Percy, Audrey is calming Luna's relatives, and some of the others have gone to alert the Ministry and go searching on their own, but they won't find Luna that way. We've got to split up systematically in order to find Luna quickly!" Hermione urged.

"In vat places should I look? I have no idea how this Ginny thinks," Viktor said, eying Hermione apprehensively.

"We'll have to brainstorm a bit," Charlie said. "I thought I knew my baby sister pretty well, but-"

"Oi, what's that mark over there?" Oliver asked curiously, pointing to a perfectly circle-shaped mark that was blasted onto the paneled church wall. Trelawney stood in a corner, her eyes shut tightly and her lips moving with no sound escaping them. Harry could have sworn he saw McGonagall shake her head.

"What does it matter what's blasted on the wall? We've got to act now! Do you think Ginny would take Luna to Hogsmeade? She always loved the Three Broomsticks," Dean suggested.

"No, I think Mr. Wood is onto something, and has noticed something other than Quidditch for once!" McGonagall exclaimed, and everyone rushed closer to get a look at the suspicious mark, Katie's eyes lingering on Oliver with a smile.

Harry lagged behind them, his world spinning and crumbling.

_What __if __it__'__s __too __late?_

The words echoed in his head, torturing him, until Ron pushed him forwards. "It'll all be fine, mate," Ron assured Harry half-heartedly. "We're going to find her. Be strong. For Luna."

There was something about Ron's words that moved something in Harry, and he thought of his father and mother, who had been so brave for him. He thought of Sirius and Lupin and Tonks and Dumbledore and Snape and Dobby and everyone else who had given themselves to win against evil, and Harry decided that he had to be brave for them, and something filled him with the strength he needed to sprint towards the peculiar circle in the wall.

"What could this mean?" Alicia wondered.

"Beats me, it's just a bloody circle," Seamus groaned. "I agree with Dean! We need to get a move on! We'll search through Hogsmeade and meet you all back here in a bit if we don't find anything."

Dean and Lavender nodded in agreement, and the three of them clutched hands quickly and disapparated.

"Maybe it doesn't mean anything," Percy said timidly. "Perhaps we should search through the Forbidden Forest? Maybe even the Chamber of Secrets?"

Shivers shot down Harry's spine as he thought of what Ginny could do to Luna in the Chamber of Secrets. _What __if __she __taught __herself __Parseltongue?_ Harry worried. He prepared himself to apparate towards Hogwarts, when suddenly-

"Wait!" Harry cried, something clicking in his head as he recounted the traumatic experience of Luna being taken from him. "Right before she took her, I saw Luna point her wand at the wall and say something! She must've casted that spell to make the circle, and it had to have been for a reason!"

"A circle? What could a circle possibly mean?" Mrs. Weasley cut in.

"During the battle of Hogwarts, Luna mentioned that a circle had no beginning," Harry said, and his voice cracked. He hated that every second they spent talking was another second in which Ginny could possibly bring harm to his precious Luna.

"I don't think that's it, Harry… I think it's supposed to be a ring!" Hermione said.

"A ring? But how would that help us?" Dennis asked madly.

"It's Loony Lovegood we're talking about! She left it because she knew it would help us," George said surely, Lee nodding in concurrence.

"Merlin's beard!" Slughorn squealed with a shocked expression on his wrinkled face. "Potter, m'boy, your wedding rings don't happen to be goblin-made, do they?" he asked excitedly.

Bill's face lit up and his eyes went wide. "Oh, my God!" he shouted. Even Draco's tight frown shifted into something of a smile.

"What?" Harry screamed. "What's going on?"

"Goblin-made rings have a special property-" Slughorn began. He patted his oversized belly, looking proud, as though he had made an important discovery.

"It's a rare spell that can be used on them, not many know about it," Bill explained.

"In essence, with said spell, which I'm sure a genius like Ms. Lovegood would know, you can carve a message onto one ring and it will transmit onto the other!" Slughorn declared.

"But we haven't exchanged the rings yet, so there's no way-" Harry started, but Hermione was already calling everyone over to the altar, where the rings had been set on a plush, lacy pillow of powder-blue.

"There's one missing! Luna must have grabbed for the ring right when Ginny had taken her! She was standing right by the altar!" Hermione ascertained.

"Oh, bloody hell, here we go," Ron muttered as the group re-formed at the altar. Harry stormed to the front, grabbing the silver wedding band that he and Luna should have been wearing at that moment, and felt a stab at his heart. Rubbing his spectacles with the tattered sleeve of his once-elegant dress robe, he squinted to find small, lightly-carved words forming on the ring, growing steadily brighter and clearer.

Everyone gasped, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione began to read them out loud, their voices dry and dead as they began to grip the full meaning of what Luna was telling them.

"The place where it all began… She has the cloak… The Department of Mysteries!"

"No!" Harry screamed, punching the wall closest to him. "Not someone else… Not again…" His stomach dropped to his knees, and he gagged and nearly vomited, but nothing escaped him; he was empty.

"We've got to go, now!" Ron yelled, but Kingsley and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had already disapparated with Charlie.

"The place where the prophecies lie! I must see this at once!" Trelawney declared, disapparating with the faintest _pop_.

"I'd better go make sure she doesn't get herself killed, and then we'll find Luna. Don't worry, Potter. Luna makes you the happiest I've ever seen you. I'll do all in my power to see to it that she is returned to your arms safely," McGonagall said with a small smile, and then disapparated speedily.

"Fleur, Viktor, Angelina, Katie, Oliver, George!" Bill roared, sounding uncharacteristically adamant. "Come with me, now! We're going to the Ministry to inform everyone of the new circumstances!"

Without a moment's hesitation, seven more disappeared from their ranks.

"I'll go get the ones who went to Hogsmeade and bring them to the Ministry," Percy said crisply and calmly.

"We'll go with you," Dennis said, gesturing to himself and Alicia. The group three linked arms and disapparated.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron held each other tightly, prepared to apparate to the phone booth - Harry did not care if Muggles saw him at this point - used to access the Ministry when an oddly familiar voice shrieked, "WAIT! Wait! It's me! I've come to redeem myself!"

However, it was too late, seemingly… at first.

The three began to apparate, but someone, the shrieking man, jumped onto them and clutched them at the last second as the trio that became a quartet was squished into the tight tube that threatened to crush them into oblivion.

After what felt like much too long to Harry, he, Ron, and Hermione rolled onto the crowded London streets and stood up, finding themselves face to face with Neville Longbottom.

"I've come to redeem myself, Harry, Ron, Hermione. I was the worst Gryffindor since Peter Pettigrew, I expect," he said solemnly, wiping at his puffy eyes with a bloody, splinched hand. "I know you won't forgive me, but you need to know that I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't know that this would happen. I didn't know! I'm going to help you save Luna and put Ginny where she belongs! I stole my grandmother's wand and just splinched off half my fingernails for this! We've got to hurry! Dumbledore's Army!" Neville cried, urging them into the phone booth and dialing the entrance number, 62442.

Harry found himself grateful for Neville's assistance, despite all that had happened between them. Harry knew that Neville had no idea that Ginny could have possibly become so evil, and decided that in such a critical moment, he could find it in his heart to forgive Neville.

_It__'__s __what __Luna __would __do, _he told himself. _Luna!_

The phone booth descended into the ground, to the ninth level, but not quickly enough for Harry to stop panicking. At least ten minutes had passed since Luna had been taken by Ginny - Harry could hardly bear to say her name in his head - and he had been hoping for the best but could not pull his mind off of the alternative of the _worst_.

They rushed down into the Ministry, and as they sprinted through the fairly populated marble halls, no one dared stop them. Harry had no idea where anyone else was, but he was sure that the Ministry had been informed of the situation, as the crowds were in havoc, wizards and witches of all ages madly clutching thin air as if to pull off the invisibility cloak.

However, no one seemed to be heading in the direction of the Department of Mysteries save Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, each clutching their wands tightly as they turned corners, boarded lifts, and blasted people out of their way.

Finally, they made their way to a plain-looking corridor lit by the bluish-white torches Harry remembered too well - it led to the entrance chamber.

Harry's brain was flooded with memories of the circular room: the polished black tiles, the twelve identical doors, the rotating walls…

He was reminded all too much of his fifth year, and Sirius, and the veil, and the voices behind them…

"AGH! THAT BITCH!" he screamed, increasing his speed so that his heart might have burst out of his chest at any given moment, but he could not have cared less. His mind was only thinking of one thing, of one face, of _her_. "IT'S WORTH IT!" he shouted to no one in particular. "FOR LUNA!" was his undying battle cry echoing throughout the halls of the Ministry of Magic.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: I know a lot of you are super mad at me for this whole "Ginny returns!" thing, but I honestly had it all planned out before I even started writing, and I'm not an immediate-happy-ending sort of person! Please bear with me. In the meantime, how's my writing? Please leave lots of reviews! Thank you for reading! I tried to keep everything as accurate as possible (like, how everything about the Ministry is described in the books) but it's a lot of information, so please let me know if I messed something up so I can correct it. XOXO!<em>


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen - The Second Battle of the Department of Mysteries

The entrance chamber was just as haunting and eerie as Harry had remembered; it was as though he was back in his fifth year, and he had thought he would be going to save Sirius, when in reality, Sirius had saved him, and then had been killed because of Harry.

_No __one __else __is __going __to __die __because __of __me, _he vowed.

"The doors rotate, remember?" Ron was the first to speak, his voice echoing throughout the dark, chilling, tunnel-like area.

"Should we split up?" Neville asked as he conjured a bandage with his wand and created a tourniquet for his fingers. Nausea nipped at Harry as he noticed that half of Neville's middle finger was missing, yet Neville barely even grimaced as he tended to his hand.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea. It's too risky," Hermione said. She approached the first door and attempted to open it, but it was locked. "Alohomora!"

Nothing.

"This must be the chamber of love that Dumbledore told you about, Harry. No one can open it except for the Unspeakables. There's no way Ginny could have gotten in there," Hermione said confidently.

Harry agreed, and ran towards the next door. "ALOHOMORA!"

The door swung open, revealing gigantic orbs of what looked like planets floating in mid-air.

"That's the space chamber. Homenum Revelio!" Neville said. "There's no one in there," he confirmed as Harry slammed the door shut. "On to the next!"

As soon as Harry opened the next door, he felt as though memories as heavy as bricks had been thrown at him, and he decided that this was where they had to go.

"Oi! The time room!" Harry shouted, and Ron, Hermione, and Neville ran in with him at once.

"It leads to the hall of prophecies; that's where-" Ron began, but never finished; a scream rang out - a scream that belonged to none of the four gathered in the rectangular room lined with clocks and a sparkling, dancing light.

"We've got to hurry!" Hermione exclaimed, her voice nearly as hoarse as Harry's.

"DON'T WORRY, LUNA! WE'RE COMING!" Harry yelled, his voice making the clocks in the room quaver.

The quartet ran through the back door and into the hall of prophecies. It was lit with a bluish light that fit well with the cold temperature of the seemingly endless room. Towering shelves stuffed with orbs of different sizes and colors stretched as far as Harry could see.

"Now we can split up! Look everywhere!" Hermione instructed, running off to the left with Ron. Neville ran to the right, spells flying out of his wand and smashing prophecies as he went.

Harry charged straight ahead, shouting, "REDUCTO, CONFRINGO, STUPEFY, BOMBARDA, CONFUNDUS, CRUCIO," over and over again to no one in particular.

The hall was silent save his voice; had Ginny already killed Luna and left? Or were they not here at all? What if Ginny had known about the rings and sent a false message from Luna's? But there was that scream! He could not pinpoint exactly which direction it had come from, or who it belonged to…

Horrible thoughts whirred in Harry's head and his stomach somersaulted relentlessly. He sprinted all the way to the end of the hall, and saw no one except for Neville, who joined him as they continued to run aimlessly searching for Luna.

As prophecies toppled over and landed on the tiled floors, crunching beneath their feet, Harry decided that there was no time to waste; he had to check another chamber.

"Neville, keep someone stationed here in case Ginny brings Luna back here, and then go looking in the other chambers!" Harry ordered. Neville nodded and split from Harry, a trail of blood dripping from his purple-tinted hand following him. Harry found himself unable to prevent himself from admiring Neville's courage.

_He __really __is __redeeming __himself_, Harry thought.

Harry dashed as quickly as humanly possible towards the exit of the hall of prophecies and jumped out like a possessed madman. Stumbling over himself, he finally reached another door, and opened it to find the foreboding room he feared the most: the death chamber.

"Lumos," he whispered as he entered the painfully familiar room. The tip of his wand ignited immediately, but not rapidly enough for Harry. He had to find Luna, and quickly.

He knew Ginny and Luna were there from the moment he stepped into the faintly lit rectangular room - his cloak of invisibility was crumpled into a fluid-like pile of silver on the ground. He picked it up numbly and stuffed it into his pocket, gripping his wand of holly so tightly he was surprised he did not crush it.

Suddenly, he heard a whimper echo through the room, and the hissing-crackling-snapping sound of a curse escaping from a wand.

"You have one last chance! You saw what I did to the last two people who tried to stop me, and I promise your fate will be worse! What'll it be?" Harry heard Ginny shriek from the depths of the pit in which the accursed veiled archway stood on the all-too-familiar dais.

"LUNA!" Harry cried, running down the steep stone staircase to the platform where the ancient archway stood. He felt a sharp pain in his chest as he passed Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's unconscious bodies sprawled across the stone steps, hand in hand, but he had no time to help them, not now.

He jumped down onto vast plateau where Sirius's life had been taken by Bellatrix so long ago… Whispers crawled through his ear, whispers he was sure Ginny and Luna could hear now, too… Whispers of the dead…

He thought briefly of his mother and father. Were they trying to talk to him? He half-considered jumping in and joining them - the veil looked so beautiful...

Then, his eyes fell on to the body of his wife-to-be, lying helplessly on the ground, the worn veil flapping nearby.

Luna's dress was shredded to pieces; her skin was more black and blue than its natural color of a light, flawless peach. She was bound and gagged and two wands were in Ginny's hands - Luna's and Neville's. Luna was barely conscious; her fluttering, swollen eyes met Harry's only with a look of immense confusion.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?" Harry bellowed as he looked at Ginny, a fire erupting throughout him. "CRUCIO!"

Ginny's emaciated body twitched and writhed for a moment, but Harry's curse flickered out; seeing Luna look at him as though she had no idea who he was or what was going on had drained so much, too much from him.

_Come __on, __think __of __something __happy._

_ Something happy?_

_ We're all still here. We're still fighting. Come on, now._

Luna's voice flooded his head, and he felt the electricity similar to the feeling he got when he kissed her surge through his veins, his bones, his blood, his muscle-

"Harry! It's because I love you! Don't make me hurt you! Don't make me kill her!" Ginny screamed, and then everything seemed to switch into slow-motion, as if the Impediment Curse had been cast on all of them.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, a new sort of power filling him, and Luna's wand flew from Ginny's hand and into Harry's. "CRUCIO!"

Ginny blocked the spell with Neville's wand and charged towards Luna's immobile body lying helplessly next to the veil. She thrust her leg back, in order to gain momentum-

Harry knew exactly what she was going to do, and lunged for Luna's body. His hand met hers, and he began to pull her towards him and away from the whispering, alluring veil hanging from the antique archway, fighting the strangest feeling trying to overtake him, to make him jump headfirst through the veil.

Ginny brought her leg back forward and it met Luna's hip, sending her body skidding towards the veil, but Harry was too quick for her; his heart nearly burst in relief as he realized he had dragged Luna close enough to him so that her foot, the closest part of her body to the veil, was still a few inches away from death's cruel and unrelenting grasp.

Before Harry had time to rejoice in his victory, Ginny laughed - a cold, scraping sound.

"You were too busy saving your Loony to remember your wand, Harry!" she giggled - _giggled_ - and panic shot through Harry as he realized she was right. He had been disarmed - standing upright clutching Luna's unconscious body, but disarmed nonetheless. He had no way to protect himself from another effort at Luna's murder.

She raised her two wands - one pointing at him, and one pointing at Luna.

_This __is __it, _Harry thought numbly. He could try to physically fight off Ginny, but that would just give her an opportunity to catch him off guard and throw Luna through the veil.

Harry clutched Luna's body tightly. Even her shallow breaths were comforting to Harry, steadying his shaking hands. _It__'__s __over. __I __could __defeat __Voldemort, __but __not __my __ex-girlfriend. __I __saved __Luna __once, __but __I __can__'__t __save __her __again __if __I__'__ve __got __no-_

His thoughts were interrupted by an ear-piercing battle cry from above, and even Ginny forgot that she was about to kill Luna as the both of them looked towards the stairs to see Neville leading Ministry officials, Ron, Hermione, Viktor, Draco, Alicia, Angelina, Dennis, Seamus, Lavender, Dean, Lee, Oliver, Katie, Charlie, Bill, Percy, George, Fleur, McGonagall, Trelawney, Slughorn, Hagrid, Kingsley, and other various D.A. members Harry could hardly see - there were so many, they stretched so far - down towards the dais.

Everything happened so quickly.

"Drop your vands!" Viktor shouted.

"Expelliarmus!" Neville and Ron shouted simultaneously, and Neville's wand flew back into his hand as Harry's wand flew into Ron's hand.

Ginny's jaw dropped, and her eyes went wide. Harry could not believe his luck; he began to laugh uncontrollably, and kissed Luna right there, helpless to the will of his heart. He was not going to die. She was not going to die, despite the warm blood on her lips that Harry could taste. She was going to be okay, he was sure. That was all that mattered. He had even tuned out the poignant whispers from the veil.

At the touch of his lips to hers, Luna's eyes shot open.

"Harry Potter," she whispered dizzily, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's about time you repaid me that life debt, I think," she smiled before slipping back into unconsciousness. He held her securely, knowing she would be okay, and grinned as he saw Ginny's world falling apart around her. The urge he had moments ago to painfully kill Ginny was gone as soon as Luna had spoken to him.

Ginny stood helplessly, her gaunt face contorted with a look of horror and defeat. A part of Harry still wanted so badly to point his wand directly at her chest and yell, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" but he thought of those who had died for him, and thought of Dumbledore, and came to the realization that living would be more difficult for her than a sudden and painless death, and with one last look of disgust at her, he backed away and returned his focus to his soon-to-be wife resting in his arms.

Kingsley stepped forward with the other Ministry officials and bound Ginny's hands and legs together. She seemed too in shock to speak, and made no protest. "Everyone, head to St. Mungo's. We'll decide what to do from there," Kingsley commanded. "Arthur, Molly, Neville, and Luna need medical attention as soon as possible!"

Several disapparated immediately; only one of the Ministry officials, Draco, Neville, Ron, Hermione, and Dean remained with Harry and Luna. The rest of the Weasley family had gone to take Molly and Arthur to St. Mungo's and to see what was going to happen to Ginny. The remaining group exited the cold, spine-chilling death chamber, elated because of their triumph.

"Thank you so much," Harry said to Neville. "If you hadn't brought reinforcements-"

"Don't mention it. I owed you that," Neville said shamefully. "I can't be sorry enough for what I did. The fame got to my head and I just-"

"I don't care anymore, Neville. Luna and I are starting a new life. That's all that matters. What you did, that's all in the past. It's all going to be different now. I - I forgive you," Harry said truthfully, unable to be angry at the man who was the reason Harry was walking away from the Department of Mysteries with Luna's living, breathing body in his arms. He saw Ron and Hermione smile, and it was clear in their expressions that they had forgiven Neville as well.

Dean ran up towards Harry and Neville, leaving Draco and the Ministry official trailing behind. "Harry! Is Luna alright?" Dean asked with a deep look of concern on his face.

Harry studied Luna's battered body, anger resurfacing in him. How could Ginny do such a thing to such a beautiful and innocent and kind and gentle person? A person who had never wronged her? "I'm going to take the Floo Network to St. Mungo's right now, but I'm sure she'll be fine. I don't think she's strong enough to apparate, though-"

"Hey, Harry!" Ron interrupted. "Here's your wand, mate," he said, handing him the only wand that felt natural in his hand. "And Hermione says she knows a couple healing spells for bruises and whatnot."

"Thanks, Ron," Harry whispered gratefully. "Honestly, I'd be lost without you two."

Hermione raised her wand to Luna and silently patched up a few gashes on her arms and legs so that they were mere whitish lines etched into her; she also completely healed the bruises staining her smooth skin. However, she had still not awoken, and they wanted to check her into St. Mungo's, in case Ginny had used a darker spell on Luna that had not surfaced yet.

Harry prayed that was not the case, but with this new, deranged Ginny he did not know at all, he was not quite sure. "I wouldn't put it past that conniving-"

"Harry, it's over," Hermione reminded him. "Try not to think of her."

"It's hard," Harry replied. "Ron, how are you taking it?"

"I dunno, Harry. It hasn't quite sunk in yet that my baby sister tried to kill my best mate's fiancé," Ron said sullenly. "I just hope she doesn't get the Kiss."

Harry remained silent, along with Hermione.

"I know you're half-wishing she would get it, Harry, but I'm her brother. I can't hate her _that_ much," Ron admitted.

"Hermione's right. It's over," Harry said, fury flickering in him every time he thought of Ginny and what she had done - and tried to do - to Luna.

"Besides, Harry, you've got a wedding to think about," Hermione said with a smirk. "The show must go on!"

"Are you mental?" Harry blurted out. "Luna's nearly been killed!"

"But she hasn't! Come on, Harry, you've got everyone gathered in one place! I'll go back to Godric's Hollow and get everyone settled back into the church and as soon as the Healers finish checking out Luna, you can come back to St. Clementine's and wrap up the wedding!" Hermione insisted. "Finish what you've started!"

"I think Hermione has a point. Think about it - the sooner you finish the wedding, the sooner you can leave for your honeymoon," Ron said with a wink.

Knowing it was nearly impossible to win an argument against Hermione, Harry agreed to let her re-organize the wedding party. "Just make sure you tell Xenophilius that she's alright. Why didn't he come along for the search, anyways?" Harry asked.

"He's actually at St. Mungo's, I think. He fainted when Ginny took Luna; her aunt said she'd take him," Hermione informed Harry. "Well, I'll see you two in a bit, then! I've got a wedding to plan - er - re-plan!" She waved her wand over her ragged dress to mend it back to its original state before she disapparated.

"Do you want to go first, Harry?" Draco asked politely. "Getting Luna to the hospital is obviously the most urgent matter of business…"

Harry looked up to see the man that was once his arch-nemesis handing him some Floo Powder as they drew near one of the Ministry fireplaces.

"Thanks, Draco," Harry said, the feeling of calling Draco Malfoy by his first name still uncomfortable and unnatural. He tossed the silvery powder into the flames, which instantly turned emerald, and shouted, "St. Mungo's!" as he stepped in, still holding Luna as if his life depended on it.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: So, what do you think? This is by no means the end - I plan to go to at least 20 chapters. Thank you for reading and remember that reviews make me happy! I probably won't update again until next weekend... School makes me sad.<em>


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen - Love and Luck

Harry sat at Luna's bedside, his hand in hers, simply watching the oscillations of her chest with each tiny breath she took and the air that escaped her lips when she sighed softly. As Healer McDonald charmed away the remainder of Luna's bruises and cuts, she had said that Luna was fine and that there would be no lasting damage from the wounds inflicted upon her by Ginny. Harry felt some great weight that had to be as heavy as all of the gold in his Gringotts vault get lifted off of his shoulders as she said this. He thanked her graciously and went quickly back to Luna's side, afraid to leave her alone; he had to admit that he was slightly paranoid.

Ginny was put into a deep slumber by one of the Aurors while everyone waited to see Luna's opinion on the matter. After Luna gave her opinion on the matter, the Wizengamot would likely be called to trial accordingly, as Kingsley had explained to Harry before he ordered everyone to either go back to the church or wait in the visitors' area so Harry could spend some time alone with Luna.

The sun was just beginning its westward descent; it was no more than three o'clock. Harry had been watching Luna's unconscious body for some time… He was not exactly sure how long, really. His face was slanted above hers, waiting for her to awaken so they could return to their wedding. When he looked at her, time seemed to freeze, or speed up, or a combination of the two. He was lost in her full lips, her smooth skin, her silky hair, and virtually every last detail about her. Everything about Luna enraptured him, and he was sure it would stay that way forever.

_Always, _his mother's voice echoed in his head.

"Always," Harry whispered, squeezing Luna's hand as he wondered if this is how his father felt about his mother when they had fallen in love. A salty sting in his eye made him realize he was crying. He wanted his parents to be with him when he got married so badly, even more than he wanted Ginny to disappear from the face of the earth for all eternity. "They deserve to be here now."

A hot tear slid from his emerald eyes and dripped onto Luna's pale face as he imagined his mother and father, vivacious and ecstatic and so proud of their son, sitting in the front row of St. Clementine's in Godric's Hollow, the very church he was christened in. He imagined being able to have a conversation with them. He imagined being able to finally feel them, and hug them, and kiss them. He knew they would love Luna. He did not know how, but he felt it in his heart.

"They're always going to be with you, Harry," a dreamy voice said gently. "With us."

Harry gasped as he saw that Luna had woken up. Her eyes opened slowly, still as bright as they had always been, and sparkled in the sunlit room. A rosy flush returned to the apples of her cheeks. His forlorn, depressed expression that he wore as he remembered his deceased parents changed instantaneously to a genuine expression of utter joy. She lifted up her arm and wiped Harry's eyes.

"Now, we have a wedding to get to, Mr. Potter," she smiled, propping herself up.

"Wait, Luna… Are you sure you're strong enough? We don't have to finish the wedding today if you don't feel strong enough. Your health is more important to me," Harry said seriously. "And your dress…"

Two pairs of eyes fell upon the tattered-beyond-repair wedding gown Luna had worn so perfectly not long ago. Its luster and beauty had been squelched from it by a series of dark curses that made Harry want to throttle Ginny unconscious.

"Healer Doherty tried to fix it, but the curses did some sort of permanent damage that's unfixable. There's no way you could get a new dress in time," Harry said sorrowfully. He really was looking forward to marrying Luna as soon as possible. Every time they spoke, there was no one else in the universe he could imagine spending his life with.

"I may be of some assistance," Xenophilius Lovegood declared suddenly, walking into the room with a silver package cradled in his arms. "I'm sorry for interrupting… I was so distraught…" His wrinkled face went beet-red as he walked up to Harry and Luna.

"What's this, daddy?" Luna asked curiously.

Xenophilius smiled tearfully and opened the package to reveal a lacy white dress. "This was your mother's wedding dress. While we were waiting for you to wake up, I went home, retrieved it, adjusted it to fit you, and added some charms to spruce it back up to its former glory," he explained. "Your mother looked so beautiful in it, and I know that you will, too, pumpkin."

Luna's eyes went wider than Harry thought was possible as she delicately touched the ivory fabric in her fingers. "Oh, daddy, are you sure it's okay if-"

"There would be nothing I would like better," he said softly. "I'll be returning to the church now, and alert the guests that the couple will be arriving shortly. Watch out for the Heliopaths on your way! Though, I must say, if you can survive that lunatic of a young woman, the Heliopaths should be no problem…"

He exited the room quickly, and Luna's glassy eyes were still focused on the dress.

"Your father never showed it to you before?" Harry asked, his heart warmed from Xenophilius' blatant approval of their relationship.

"Never. I assumed the Nargles had taken it, you know… He never enjoyed talking about mum," she replied. A smile quickly formed on her face. "I know she'd be happy for me, just like your parents."

"I know," Harry said confidently. "Let's go back to the church now, shall we? Everyone is waiting there except for a few Aurors and Kingsley-"

"But I've got to tell them what to do with Ginny first," Luna said sorrowfully. "Poor thing."

"POOR THING?" Harry roared, then apologized quickly. "I'm sorry, I just don't understand how you could call that monster-"

"Imagine if I left you for Neville. She's just desperate. She doesn't deserve the Kiss, Harry, and you know it," Luna said surely. "She needs help. I'm going to ask them to keep her as a resident in St. Mungo's for a few years until the Wrackspurts leave her brain and the Nargles return her sanity and she can think straight."

Harry sighed deeply. He knew that this was Luna's choice, and he _supposed_that _maybe_she was right.

"I know you think I'm right, and you just don't want to admit it," she laughed, sticking out her tongue at him.

He raised his hands in defeat. "Fine. You win this time, Luna," he confessed.

"We're getting married. You should start getting used to it," she replied half-jokingly.

"You're a Ravenclaw. I should have known I'd never win an argument," he responded.

"Well," she said pensively, "you do have that Gryffindor determination. This will prove to be quite an interesting lifetime, I think."

They laughed, hand in hand, until they reached the room where Ginny was being guarded by the Aurors.

"I don't think I want to see her. I don't know how I'll react," Harry professed. "And, you need to change into your dress. I'm not allowed to see you! Should I just wait at the church? I've got to clean up, anyways."

"Personally, I think you look more devil may care this way, but it's up to you," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. "I'll see you on the flip side, my dear."

"The flip side?" Harry asked, confused.

"I heard a Muggle say it. Don't ask me what it means! I just like how it sounds," she said.

_So __incredibly__… __Luna. __I__'__m __the __luckiest __man __in __the __world, _Harry thought to himself before he hugged her tightly one last time and apparated back to the church.

* * *

><p>"Shall we pick up where we left off, then, Mr. Potter?" the priest asked as Harry stood, all cleaned up and hardly believing his luck, at the altar of the church once more. Harry had forgotten all about Ginny and all about the people seated in the pews in front of him - Luna was once again the only thing on his mind.<p>

"I suppose," Harry shrugged. "I just want to get married."

Ron, George, Bill, and Oliver laughed hysterically, and the priest signaled for the music to begin again as Luna once again walked into the church, her arm intertwined with her father's.

Harry's breath once again escaped him as he saw Luna walking down the aisle for the second time. He did not think it was possible for her to look more gorgeous than she had before, yet she did. Perhaps she just became more beautiful in Harry's eyes with each passing second they spent together.

Her stylishly old-fashioned, traditional dress was a radiant ivory color, the neckline embroidered with silver flowers that reminded Harry of the spangled-silver robes she wore to their "just as friends" date at the Slug Club party. The dress tightened, cinched by a wide strip of identical silky fabric, until it hit her hips, and then flowed downwards in layers, like upside-down flowers stacked on each other. The dress reflected Luna's personality beautifully - multi-faceted, effervescent, stunning…

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" the priest said, breaking Harry's tunnel-vision of Luna and her glowing aura.

"I do," Xenophilius said hazily as he released Luna from his tight grip, looking as though he was about to faint. Harry finally took notice of him - he wore bright yellow robes and his cheeks were stained with tears. Harry thought that he and Mrs. Weasley, sobbing in the second row of pews, would make great friends, then shifted his attention back to Luna as the priest began to speak again.

"Let me charge you both to remember that your future happiness is to be found in mutual consideration, patience, kindness, confidence, and affection. Harry, it is your duty to love Luna as you love yourself, provide tender leadership, and protect her from danger. Luna, it is your duty to treat Harry with respect, support him, and create a happy, healthy home. It is the duty of each of you to find the greatest joy in the company of the other, to remember that in both interest and affection, you are to be one and undivided. Harry and Luna, you have made a very serious and important decision in choosing to marry each other today. You are entering into a sacred covenant as life partners in God. The quality of your marriage will reflect what you put into nurturing this relationship. You have the opportunity to go forward from this day to create a faithful, kind, and tender relationship. We bless you this day. It is up to you to keep the blessings flowing each and every day of your lives together. We wish for you the wisdom, compassion, and constancy to create a peaceful sanctuary in which you can both grow in love. Harry James Potter, do you understand and accept this responsibility, and do you promise to do your very best each day to create a loving, healthy, and happy marriage?"

Harry dimly perceived that all eyes were on him, but he could only see Luna; the priest's voice just a background noise. _Love __her __forever? __I __can __do __that._

"I do," Harry said, his heart thudding in his chest with pure bliss.

The priest turned to Harry's jubilant bride, now standing across from him, a barely-visible sheet of lace acting as a veil.

"Luna Artemis Lovegood, do you also understand and accept this responsibility, and do you promise to do your very best each day to create a loving, healthy, and happy marriage?"

"Of course I do," Luna said serenely, her glossy lips curved into a smile matching Harry's.

"Luna," Harry said, making his vow, "I don't think it's even possible for you to understand how much I love you. It feels a bit odd saying it, since you know I'm not big on talking about my feelings." She nodded and blushed as he continued. "You… You just understand me like no one else can. You're so _you_, and that's what I love so much. You don't care what others think about you. You know what it's like to be an outcast. You're different. You get me. You taught me what true love was when I had no hope. You always make me feel better when we talk, and you already know how I'm feeling by just looking at me. I'd love to have you as my wife, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, always. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Remember that every day," he finished, his entire face hot and red as he heard Mrs. Weasley and Fleur weeping hysterically. He had not even rehearsed his speech; the words just seemed to float upwards from his heart and out of his mouth.

Luna's protuberant eyes seemed to glisten with tears of joy and look deep into his soul, yet her voice did not shake and she did not flinch once before she spoke in her peaceful voice.

"Harry," Luna began her vow, "I've loved you for quite a while. You were the only person there for me for a long time. You don't treat me like I'm incapable of doing anything by myself, or like I'm crazy, and that's quite rare, you know. We've been through so much together, Harry. You're the best friend anyone could ask for, and best friends make the best couples. My mum told me that once. You don't give yourself enough credit for always knowing how _I_ feel, Harry. Even if Wrackspurts make my brain go fuzzy, I know my heart will lead me back to you. Nargles can steal everything I own; I'll still be perfectly wonderful if I have you. Our love is really quite sublime. I trust you with my life. We've even had it put to the test… But, that's not important right now. What's important is that we're together, and we will be, no matter what happens. Always."

Harry felt a great rush of affection for Luna. His only regret at that moment was not getting to know the Luna he loved so greatly from the moment they met on the Hogwarts Express. He never knew it was possible to want someone to share his life with - all of them, all the time, always - so much.

The priest then handed them their smooth silver wedding bands. Harry slipped Luna's onto her finger, and Luna slid Harry's onto his finger. Their eyes did not move from one another's until they noticed the priest waving his hazel wand over their heads, a shower of tiny, golden stars falling onto their entwined fingers.

Harry remembered the swirling stars from Bill and Fleur's wedding; they were the magical way of permanently bonding the marriage, of making it official. It felt wonderful. _I__'__m __married, _he realized exuberantly. _I __get __to __be __with __Luna __forever. __She__'__s __my __other __half, __my __better __half__…_

"I now pronounce you man and wife," the priest announced with a grin on his face, though it dimmed in comparison to Harry's. "Harry, you may now kiss the bride!"

With one last look into her wide, deep, infinite, smiling eyes, Harry leaned forward to kiss Luna Artemis Potter.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>There will still be a couple more chapters. Please leave a review and let me know how you like it! Also, if you really love Harry and Luna and you have a Tumblr account, you should follow the blog I made for them: harryxluna, where I uploaded a picture of the dress I based Luna's second dress off of. :) Or, you can follow my personal blog, eyesofbatterycity. Thank you for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: **This is the last chapter before the epilogue, I think! Consider it a holiday present. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a few weeks, but I've been so busy with school. Since I'm on break now, I'll probably update more of my stories now. Thank you for reading, and PLEASE leave a review and let me know what you think. Remember, I haven't been writing for a while and I really would like to improve. Have happy and safe holidays! XOXO

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><p>Chapter Nineteen - I'm With You<p>

Their kiss was slow and sweet and beautiful. Her skin and lips were warm and soft and tasted remotely like wildflowers. The way his lips slanted onto hers just felt _right_. Harry could not possibly imagine a better way to start his life as a married man.

After what could have been seconds or hours - Harry lost track of time whenever he was with Luna, let alone kissing her - he realized that people were watching and pulled away blushing.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed," Luna whispered in his ear as they slipped from each other's arms. His blush spread to the tips of his ears and she laughed; it was music to him to hear her so happy and full of life.

_Luna Artemis Potter._

The name bounced around in his head; he loved the way it sounded and how it felt and what it represented - a lifetime with her. He wanted nothing more.

The crowd slowly poured from the church after they offered their blessings to the newlywed couple and disapparated from Godric's Hollow to Ottery St. Catchpole in order to attend the reception at the Lovegood home. Harry and Luna remained, thanking the priest and changing into more comfortable robes.

Harry put on a casual black robe and Luna changed into a dress that resembled a white slip with a dress of sheer lace that hit right above the knee thrown over it. She waved her wand over her glitter-flecked hair and it French-braided itself, complete with silver flowers woven into it. She took off her shoes altogether and shoved them into her canvas bag.

"You look beautiful," Harry said to her as they carefully folded Luna's mother's wedding dress and returned it to the package Xenophilius originally had it stored in.

"You're too kind, _hubby_," she replied with a smile. "We have one last stop before we go to the reception." She extended her hand and Harry took it without question, smiling as he saw the rings she wore.

Within a split second, they had arrived at their destination. Harry was numb to the typical uncomfortable feeling of apparition; with his wife by his side, he could not help but feel overjoyed and oblivious to anything bad in the world.

"The cemetery?" Harry asked, surprised (though after spending months with Luna, he was sort of expecting a surprise).

"Well, I'd like to speak to your parents. I haven't had a proper conversation with them, you know. I do think it would be polite of me to properly introduce myself," Luna explained with a small grin. "If that's alright with you, of course."

Tears stung Harry's eyes, rushing up quickly as though a dam had broken. "That would be great, actually," he answered immediately. "I-I'd like to say something to them as well."

Luna squeezed his hand, and they walked to the grave of James and Lily Potter. "They saw our first kiss," she reminded him. The two of them laughed in unison.

"They like you, I can tell. They love you like their own daughter, I'm sure of it," Harry said. Luna blushed with pleasure.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Potter - or, should I say, James and Lily. I'd just like to thank you two for bringing such a wonderful young man into the world, and for everything that you did to rid the world of Voldemort. I know you two were watching over us, from up there, or behind the veil… I hope you'll come to the reception; Daddy hired a wonderful band - they play songs that make the Blibbering Humdingers come out and dance!" Luna said softly, her voice a floating melody in the temperate, sweet air.

"You're perfect," Harry whispered. Luna waved her wand, and a bouquet of oddly-shaped and brightly-colored shimmering flowers formed and rested itself on the grave.

Luna stared intently at the bouquet. "Do you think they'll like those flowers? I could always make a dirigible plum wreath-"

"They'll love them," Harry said surely, thinking of his mother, who had given her life for him when Voldemort had given her the choice to leave; he remembered his father, who had been so brave and had tried so hard to earn and protect his family…

Before Harry understood what was going on, he was talking to his parents in his head. Talking as though they were right by him, tangible, looking at him-

Mum. Dad. Hello. I know you're up there, looking down on Luna and I and congratulating us. I wish you could be down here, though. I just want to thank you both, so much. For everything. I miss you. Please give us your blessings, and just know that I'll love you two, until the end, always.

Luna's eyes widened astonishment and glee as a thick, rolling cloud in the azure sky separated into two, sending a beam of warm, golden light shining down onto the man and his wife, standing hand-in-hand and ever so still.

"They gave us their blessing," Luna whispered serenely in his ear. He turned his head quickly and smashed his lips into hers, hardly able to comprehend and process what he was feeling. It was impossible, yet it had happened. His parents had sent him a sign. They _were_ listening after all. He had tried to convince himself that they were even before he received their blessing, but now that it had actually happened…

And Luna was kissing him, and he was caressing her face passionately, and her lips and her skin and her hair were all so soft, and there was nothing more he needed in the world-

It could have been years, decades, centuries - Harry did not know, or care - before they broke apart, the sun making her skin nearly glow a pearly-white, matching her lacy dress. Harry and Luna stood smiling at each other breathlessly.

"Now that we've gotten our message, should we go to the reception? Daddy might be getting worried," Luna suggested. "Plimpy soup only stays fresh for so long."

Harry nodded, unable to speak.

She stared into his eyes and smiled. "Hey, Mr. Potter, you don't want to be late for your own wedding reception, do you?"

The corners of his lips twitched upwards into a smile. "No, I better not. Molly would kill me," he said seriously. "Thanks for this, Luna Potter. Whenever I'm with you, I'm just… so happy."

"Get used to it, then, because we've got quite a few more years, darling," she said with a harmonious giggle. He joined in her laugher, squeezed her hand, and apparated them to Xenophilius' home. Harry realized that Xenophilius would soon be living there alone. _He deserves for his last day with his daughter to be a good one, _Harry reminded himself.

When they arrived in the verdant garden, it was already jam-packed with the guests from the wedding and several friends of Xenophilius that Harry did not recognize; he knew they were his friends simply because of the extremely odd and brightly-colored robes they wore. Long tables with curled feet and pastel-colored moss growing around them were topped with dozens of plates and bowls of various foods and random mugs, jars, and vases stuffed with wildflowers. Dainty teacups of various shapes and sizes were set upon scraps of lace and doilies. Mr and Mrs. Weasley were waving their wands above them and they were filling with a sweet-smelling liquid that reminded Harry faintly of butterbeer.

"Oh, Harry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley squealed, noticing his presence. Running up to him at the speed of light, she wrapped both Harry and Luna in a relentless hug.

"Mrs. Weasley-" he began, but was quickly interrupted.

"Oh, you're a grown boy, you call me Molly now," she said, nearing hysterics. "Oh, I remember when you were just a tiny boy, and when Luna was a baby, not bigger than my forearm, and you were so thin, and lost on the platform, and now you're so mature, and you've done so much-"

"Mollywobbles," Arthur said, peeling her off of Harry and Luna, "try drinking some of this. It'll calm you down, dear." He handed her a tall glass of brandy and briefly embraced and congratulated Harry and Luna before leading Mrs. Weasley to a seat at a table.

"She loves you as her own son, I think," Luna noted as she sipped from a teacup.

Harry nodded. "I love her like a mother," he said as he sampled the butterbeer-like substance. It tasted oddly delicious. "What exactly is this?"

"We were wondering the same thing," a woman's voice said.

Harry and Luna turned to see Hermione and Ron, hand in hand, eyeing the teacups suspiciously. They hugged Harry tightly, beaming proudly, and Luna, who blushed with joy.

"Congratulations, mate," Ron said, slapping Harry on the back.

"We'll go on so many double-dates. It'll be wonderful!" Hermione said ecstatically.

"We can go on triple dates soon, Hermione," Luna whispered.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "What do you-"

"Look at Neville. He seems to be enjoying himself over there," Luna observed, pointing towards the tables where people were seated, eating steaming bowls of soup and plates of fish, steak, and vegetables.

"Who's that blonde witch hanging on his arm?" Ron asked loudly.

"Shhh!" Hermione hissed. "The Slytherins sleeping in the dungeons at Hogwarts could probably hear you."

"That's my mum's best friend's daughter, Jacklyn Jenkins. She and Neville will get along great, I'm sure," Luna said happily. "I didn't know daddy invited her."

"She seems like a nice girl. But, honestly, Luna, what is this?" Hermione inquired, pointing to the liquid filling the teacups.

"It's honeysuckle nectar mixed with the essence of wildflowers and butterbeer with a hint of cognac," Luna explained. "Daddy likes mixing different ingredients and seeing what tastes good. I'm his lab hamster - that's a Muggle term Harry taught me."

Hermione's eyes widened. "I've been drinking that this whole time?"

"It's wonderful, Luna. Tell your dad I'd love to try different drinks for him," Ron said, laughing. Hermione elbowed him, her attempt at being nonchalant unsuccessful.

"Thank you, Ronald. You and Hermione should go try the Plimpy soup. I'm sure you two would love it," Luna suggested.

Hermione covered her mouth to stifle either a laugh or a gag, but Ron dragged her towards the self-serve food tables. As soon as they left, Viktor Krum and Oliver Wood came up to Harry and Luna, postponing their heated Quidditch discussion to wish the couple well. George, Angelina, Percy, Audrey, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, and a young woman with short purple hair approached Harry and Luna next, each congratulating them and Fleur planting a kiss on Harry's cheek. The purple-haired woman arm-in-arm with Charlie introduced herself as Shyla Fabius, one of the musicians during the service. As they left to go get food, George whispered to Harry, "Mum's off sobbing somewhere because Charlie's finally got a girlfriend."

Seemingly hundreds of more people congratulated the newlywed couple, hugging and kissing them and slipping envelopes of money and even odd little trinkets into their hands, interrupting them even as they ate the surprisingly tasty Plimpy soup. "See, you didn't think it would taste good, but it does, doesn't it?" Luna teased him. "Oh, no! Gudmund Gregors! He's a writer for the Quibbler… Loves pinching my cheeks, but it does hurt quite a bit… Let's go inside, shall we?"

Harry and Luna dashed inside, holding hands, and erupted into fits of laughter, sobering as they saw Molly embracing Xenophilius, both of them sobbing on the now ivory-colored squashy sofa.

"Oh, they've grown so much! When will it stop?" Molly cried.

"Alas, if only there were enough time-turners to take us all back!" Xenophilius wailed.

Luna raised a finger to her lips, signaling Harry to be quiet, and pointed upstairs. The two of them tiptoed silently up the spiral staircase and into Luna's room, shutting the heavy wooden door as softly as possible.

The windows were wide open, facing the rolling hills of the countryside, and sunlight streamed in, casting a golden sunset glow over everything. An open but empty suitcase laid on the bed Harry had spent so many afternoons sitting on, conversing with Luna. "You haven't packed yet?" Harry asked her. "We're leaving tonight."

"Things have been so _hectic_. Where are we going first?" she asked, waving her wand so that the dresser drawers in her room opened and her clothes flew out of them and into the suitcase, which Harry was sure had an enchantment on it to make it more spacious than it appeared. The necklaces and earrings and bracelets on her jewelry stand followed suit.

"That's a surprise," he said with a smirk. "But we need to stop at Grimmauld Place before we go; I forgot to pack, too."

"Our new home," Luna said dreamily.

"Only if you want it to be. We can always buy a cottage here, close to Ron and Hermione and your dad and the Weasleys," Harry reminded her.

"As long as I'm with you, anywhere is fine," Luna said seriously. "We have decades - we could spend a few months in every country of the world if we wanted to."

"That sounds like fun to me," Harry smiled. He leaned closer to Luna, so close that her eyelashes tickled his cheeks. He knew she could feel his heart thudding, his breaths becoming shallow.

She shut her globelike eyes and kissed him, and he pulled her closer, and she ran her fingers through his messy hair, and he held her tiny body securely in his arms, and she pulled back for a second to smile, and he came crashing into her again…

He pried himself from her after a period of paradise to breathe and calm his heart. He could not wait until he and Luna were finally alone and could start their marriage…

"Let's start now," Luna said suddenly, reading his mind. Her suitcase clicked itself shut, and she smiled widely. "Let's go to Grimmauld Place so you can pack and start our honeymoon right now."

"Luna, you're so _cool_," he said breathlessly, remembering a conversation they had years ago.

"That's a very nice thing to say," she replied sweetly.

They stood up quickly, and held hands, readying themselves for apparition.

"Are you sure your father will be okay with this?" Harry asked. "We _are_ disappearing without a trace."

"Valid point. I'll write him a note. What would I do without you?" she asked as she scribbled a few words onto a scrap of parchment.

"You'd be fine. I'd die without you," Harry laughed.

"I love you, Harry James Potter."

"I love it when you say my name, Luna Artemis Potter, and I love you, too."

She squeezed his hand, and they disapparated with the faintest noise they could manage, as Molly and Xenophilius were still bawling in the sitting room.

Harry, for the first time in his life, did not feel in the slightest the discomfort of apparition - he was too focused on Luna, and her hand in his, and his strong and undying and amazing love for her, and the way she looked into his eyes and said his name, and the way she was always on his mind, a constant in his life, the only person who understood him perfectly, the only one of her kind, and how he could not imagine a life without her in it, every day, forever, and always.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: **I wrote two epilogues, both very different from each other (but both very happy). Ultimately, I decided on this one (it's essentially a bunch of different moments in Harry's life following his marriage to Luna), but maybe I'll upload the original version just so you guys can see what it was like. This is it. I hope you enjoy it, and PLEASE leave a review letting me know what you think! Thanks!

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><p>Chapter Twenty - Epilogue<p>

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><p>The garden was Harry's favorite thing about their home in Ottery St. Catchpole.<p>

Harry and Luna Potter spent most of the year living in London, at Grimmauld Place. But, during the spring and most holidays, they stayed at their cottage next to Ron and Hermione's.

The garden was a beautiful, magical place. Luna planted enchanted flowers that spun and danced as they sparkled and glowed in the dappled sunlight. Luna's garden was simply alive. There were the magical lilies, singing petunias, perfumed daisies, cackling snapdragons, waving lavenders and, of course, dirigible plums. Luna was sure to maintain these plants for a new pair of earrings once her old ones had worn. There were the edible vegetables and the honeysuckle that grew along the fence. The golden flowers ignited the darkness, woven through a beautiful archway that Harry and Luna would sit under and spend many midsummer nights, their love growing more each day.

When it got so dark that the only light was the moon and the shimmering flowers, they would lay, his arm around her petite body, on beautifully patterned quilts Luna made in her spare time. They would discuss Quibbler articles Luna was working on. Harry might bring up where they would go on their next vacation. Luna would always have something on her mind. There was never a dull moment in their perpetual bliss.

"It's been one year and seven months since we've been married, and I've loved every second. I just thought you should know," Harry said one night in late June. He meant every word. They had their occasional arguments, but ultimately, they loved each other more than either of them knew was ever possible. They could communicate with each other with a single glance. Luna read Harry so well he did not dare lie to her, not that his heart would ever allow him to.

Luna smiled, resting a small, loving kiss on her husband's waiting lips. "Madagascar," she said, pulling away suddenly. "We've only been to one country inAfrica. We should go toMadagascarnext," Luna contemplated, smiling at him through the darkness. Her fingers were subconsciously rubbing Harry's thigh, then twirling the frayed edges of his jeans. It felt so natural. Her skin seemed to glow as brightly as the garden. There were breathtakingly gorgeous flowers surrounding the couple, but Harry was focused more on the breathtakingly gorgeous young woman lying next to him.

"You know I'll go anywhere with you. You can make any place a fun place to be," Harry said truthfully. "Madagascarseems cool."

"I never have seen penguins before! How interesting that would be!" Luna said excitedly. "I can test their reactions to Wrackspurts and Heliopaths and Blibbering Humdingers and Nargles!"

"As long as we don't get eaten by lions," Harry replied, and the two of them laughed. "I love your laugh," he added. "It's so... peaceful."

"I like my laugh better when I can hear yours, too," Luna responded, then maneuvered swiftly so that she was on top of him, her flowing locks of hair brushing his bare chest.

"You know what I love even more than when you laugh? When you-" Harry began, but was cut off by Luna's lips pressed onto his. The sensation was magical; a different kind of magic. It did not involve wands, or spells, or potions, but a strong magnetic pull of what could only be love between the man and his wife. His lips felt incomplete without hers merging onto them, her long eyelashes brushing his, her gentle, peaceful touch...

She pulled away only for a moment, grabbing her wand and whispering, "Muffliato. We wouldn't want to disturb Ron and Hermione."

* * *

><p>"I'm going to be a dad. Oh, my God. I'm going to be a father!" Harry exclaimed breathlessly.<p>

Ron rolled his eyes. "Luna's is calmer than you are, and she's the one shoving a baby out of her bloody-"

"Shut up, Ron! Now is not the time!" Hermione shouted. "Harry, shut up and say something encouraging to your wife!"

Luna breathed deeply and rapidly, but kept her shouting to a minimum, thankfully. Harry was the one who felt as though he might shout, just to release the anticipation building up inside of him. He held onto Luna's hand tightly, unsure as to what he could say to aid her in this situation.

"It's coming! It's coming!" Healer Marcelyn Mason shrieked. Only a team of the finest healers were handling the Potter family's first child. "He's coming out! It's a boy! You're almost there! Push, for the love of God!"

The next few minutes were a bloody, loud, insane blur to Harry, and then he saw his son and everything was perfect. Thick black hair and wide brown eyes and the loudest cries Harry had ever heard.

He was in awe.

"He looks just like you," Luna whispered, still holding his hand.

"I can't believe you became a dad before me. So unfair!" Ron joked.

"Give them a moment, Ron!" Hermione said, dragging him away.

"Thanks," Harry said gratefully, and returned his attention to his family. His eyes fell on his son, and then on Luna. To him, they were the only people in the world: his sobbing baby boy and his elated wife. Tired, sweaty, but elated. She hardly blinked as she held their son in her sore arms; she was too busy taking in the presence of her firstborn child.

"He's perfect," Luna said tranquilly. "Everything's perfect."

"I love you, Luna," Harry said, his voice wavering to something of a shout. "I can't believe you just did that! We just did this. I can't believe this. What we brought into this world... Well, it was mostly you, but-"

"We created him, Harry. He's perfect, and he's beautiful, and he's ours, and what are we going to name the boy? He can't be just 'he' forever."

"You can decide, you did all the hard work," Harry insisted. I can't believe I'm a father. I can't believe I'm a father and I have a son and a beautiful wife and a wonderful family.

"No. We're doing this together," Luna said firmly.

After a half hour of intense discussion and lots of snogging and celebrating and crying and laughing, Harry emerged from the room and found Healer Mason.

"James Sirius Potter."

* * *

><p>"It's a healthy baby girl," Healer Mason announced, smiling widely as she held up the very red infant - even the child's thick tufts of hair were a fiery shade of red, complimenting her unusually protuberant silver eyes. Healer Mason carefully handed the baby, swaddled in a pink blanket, to her mother, a thin, pale, sweaty, aching, but beaming Luna Potter. "What would you like to name her, miss? She's a beautiful one, she is!"<p>

"Dada! Mama!" one-year-old James Sirius Potter pleaded for attention, tugging on his father's trousers. Harry was too busy to notice; he was clutching Luna's hand tightly, their eyes focused only on each other and their second child.

"Lily Amarantha Potter," Luna said confidently, looking at Harry understandingly. "She's going to make an impact on this world, I can feel it."

"With a mother like you, how could she not?" Harry asked, his voice edging on ecstatic hysteria. "I'll go get Xeno-"

"You might as well let in the Weasleys; I know they're all out there. Never has there been such a gathering of Wrackspurts," Luna said weakly, managing a laugh.

"Are you alright?" Harry inquired, concerned. "I don't want you to get too worn out." He was absentmindedly stroking Lily's hair, still taking in the presence of the two most beautiful women in the world lying on a bed in St. Mungo's in front of him.

"I'm tougher than I look," Luna said, sitting up enough to plant a kiss on Harry's lips, trembling with excitement.

"I love you," he murmured, and she ran her hand through his messy hair, which had not been combed for days. It stuck up in all directions, and his clothes were stained, and his glasses were crooked - all of the things that came with parenthood, all of the things that Harry and Luna would not trade for the world.

"I love you, too, Harry James Potter."

* * *

><p>The one-year-old boy zoomed around the kitchen on a children's broomstick, hovering hardly two feet above the ground, yet still managing to wreak endless amounts of havoc.<p>

"James Sirius Potter! It's time to eat!" Hermione shouted. "Rose is at the table! Lily is at the table! Mummy and daddy and Uncle Ron are at the table!"

"It's hopeless," Harry informed her. "Sorry about the vase he broke."

"He usually comes when we tell him Rose is here," Hermione observed curiously. "Quidditch must be more important to him now. Men."

"At least he'll be good at Quidditch," Ron chimed in optimistically. "Ten sickles he's going to be a Chaser!"

"Seeker," Luna replied suddenly. Her eyes were unfocused, her hand in Harry's instinctively, yet she was paying complete attention to the conversation. "He's going to be a Seeker."

"How do you-" Ron began, but was quickly interrupted by Harry.

"Don't question it," Harry laughed. He wondered what the world looked like through Luna's eyes. He figured it must be wonderful to be Luna, and decided that being married to her was the next best thing.

"Should we just begin supper, then?" Hermione asked. "There's something Ron and I have to tell you two."

They had been catching up all afternoon; Harry wondered what Hermione and Ron had yet to tell them. The understanding look on Luna's face gave Harry the impression that she already knew.

"Spit it out, then," Harry said cautiously as Hermione set down platters of steak and vegetables in front of the four of them. Luna waved her wand, and two jars of baby food made their way to Lily and Rose, strapped into their high-chairs. The mushy, nutritional concoction began magically feeding themselves to the two infants, who simultaneously cooed with delight.

"I'm pregnant again!" Hermione explained with a smile.

"Blimey, that's wonderful!" Harry congratulated his two best friends, wrapping them both in warm hugs before returning to his seat to begin eating the hot, delicious meal in front of him. "I'm so happy for you two!"

Luna grinned. "There's something I've also been meaning to tell all three of you," she announced. "I'm pregnant as well!"

Harry's fork slipped from his hand and would have dropped to the ground, but James zoomed by on his broomstick and caught it in midair before it fell.

* * *

><p>"It's you two again, eh?" Healer Mason laughed as she walked into the Potter family's hospital room, her thick black hair now flecked with grey. "I saw it coming, you know. You can't keep your wand to yourself, if you know what I mean, Mr. Potter. The third time in three years, my God!"<p>

Harry blushed and covered James' ears as he cradled one-year-old Lily in his other arm. "Luna's just given birth, would you mind just giving us the paperwork?" he asked, rolling his tired green eyes and running his fingers through his forever untidy black hair, still soaking wet from the spring rain.

"Sure, sure. It's a boy, right? That's what Healer Pierson told me," Healer Mason said as she scribbled and peeked at the baby, cuddled in his mother's arms in the hospital bed. "He's got the prettiest blonde hair! It's just like his mummy's!"

"And eyes just like his daddy," Luna noted. The baby boy had emerald, almond-shaped eyes that contrasted beautifully with his unusually pale skin. Harry looked at her and grinned. Luna smiled back, and nodded.

"We're going to name him Remus. Remus Ronald Potter," Harry declared proudly, handing Lily Amarantha to a very pregnant Hermione so he could hold his second son. Harry thought of Remus, his Professor Lupin, and how happy he must have been to learn that Harry named his son for him.

_Just returning the favor. You gave me the best Godson I could ever ask for, _Harry said to himself casually, as if he were having a conversation with Lupin. _Now I've got all the marauders in my kids' names… The true marauders, at least._

James Sirius was busy playing peek-a-boo with Ron. Ron and Hermione were James's Godparents, Neville and Jacklyn were Lily's, and George and Angelina were set to be Remus's.

"I hope he inherits my sense of humor," Ron whispered to Hermione, who giggled, yet elbowed him nonetheless.

"How're you holding up?" Harry asked his wife as he cradled Remus in his arms. "This is your third time. You must be so exhausted."

"I'm not even thirty, Harry Potter, and neither are you. We're just getting started. I'm not so much exhausted as I am excited! I've already got an idea - let's take the three of them to Greece next month, when summer starts. And Ron and Hermione and Rose can come as well, if she's given birth to her son yet-"

"Hold on, how do you know she's having a son? She wanted to keep it a surprise," Harry whispered, stifling laughter at the fact that Luna was so energetic less than an hour after giving birth.

"I can feel it in the air," Luna said simply, and Harry nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He had gotten used to Luna's quirks long ago, and loved her for them. "I can also feel Professor Lupin looking down on us… He must be so happy right now."

"You're bloody amazing," Harry murmured, brushing wet strands of her blonde hair out of her face and kissed her softly. Harry felt butterflies soar in his stomach - after all this time, he still felt the fireworks exploding when their lips met. She pulled him closer by the collar, surprisingly strong for a woman who had just given birth. Then again, Luna surprised Harry frequently.

* * *

><p>"The children are at Andromeda's, playing with Teddy and Rose," Luna announced one summer afternoon as Harry sat at his desk in the study of their home inLondon, filling out an application for a job.<p>

"Wonderful. Nice to have some peace and quiet for a change," Harry said as he scribbled his credentials onto the fancy parchment.

"You're worried. Why are you worried?" Luna asked, approaching her husband slowly. "If it's about the job-"

"You know it is."

"There's not one person in this world more qualified to be a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. You know that," Luna said softly.

"McGonagall asked me specifically to apply," Harry admitted. "But what if I do get the job? I can't just leave you four here alone. I won't."

Luna massaged his shoulder gently with one hand as she pulled an envelope out of her pocket. "Read this," she suggested.

Harry opened the letter. As he read it, his eyes widened.

"They asked you to be the Care of Magical Creatures teacher?" he asked in disbelief. "This is too perfect!"

"We can all move to Hogwarts as a family," she said with a peaceful smile. "No need to worry about anything. McGonagall said she'd set up a daycare program just for us and Neville - he's got that cute little girl Alice now, but he wouldn't quit teaching Herbology for anything."

"Do you mind Hagrid babysitting our kids?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"Now that I've gotten to know him better, I don't mind him so much, though I do think I broke a tooth on his little cakes," Luna replied, and the two of them laughed together.

Harry felt substantially more at peace, once again thanks to Luna. "I've just got to finish with this application, then…"

"Harry Potter, the kids are at Andromeda's, all of them! How often are the kids all out of the house? How often do we get the house to ourselves?" Luna asked, sliding out of her robes and crossing her arms playfully.

Harry raised his eyebrows and picked Luna up without another word. As he carried her towards their bedroom, he began to kiss her ardently, and she was fingering his unruly hair. Her touch felt like a current passing through his body, and a calming sensation passed through him, and he knew he would be alright as long as Luna was always near him.

* * *

><p>"Fourth kid? Have you two gone mad? Aren't the two of you professors? It's April. You could have planned this one better-"<p>

"Shut up, Mason," Harry groaned. "My wife and daughter are asleep."

"-and your hair, dear boy, it's just gotten longer over the years, at least your cousin Dudley cuts his hair, though I imagine his wife charms it off in his sleep, since he does seem rather lazy-"

"We're naming her Ariana Hermione. That's Ariana Hermione Potter, can you manage to write that down and get out? I'm going on three hours of sleep and I've still got a stack of papers to grade-"

"Who are the Godparents going to be?" Healer Mason asked, eager to keep up with the Potters. Not every Healer got to tend to a world-famous family.

"You better not tell any of this to the Daily Prophet. I told Claudio Skeeter I'd hex his hands off if he published anything about my personal life ever again. Anyways, Luna and I were just talking about who the Godparents should be… We were thinking Draco Malfoy, but his wife Ginny, that's the problem… They're busy with their daughter Narcissa, anyways…" Harry's voice trailed off. "Probably Bill and Fleur Weasley, or Oliver and Katie Wood."

"Ah. What does the child look like? Father or mother? I've grown quite attached to your family after these four years," Healer Mason said curiously as she scribbled down the information.

"Black hair like mine and James's, pale skin and silver eyes like Luna's. Only, her eyes are shaped like mine," Harry described, unable to prevent the giant smile forming on his face.

"Oh, that's good… Those eyes of Mrs. Potter do creep me out a bit," Healer Mason confessed. "So wide…"

"They're beautiful," Harry said indignantly.

"And you're in love," Healer Mason giggled as she pranced away.

* * *

><p>"The lake's beautiful this time of year," Luna said serenely, hand-in-hand with Harry on a crisp autumn afternoon. It had been five months since Ariana was born, and the fall term had just started. Hagrid and Slughorn had insisted on taking care of the children for a couple hours to give Harry and Luna some time to themselves.<p>

"You're beautiful, every day of the year," Harry replied. Luna smiled and kissed him longingly.

"Four kids later and we've still got it," Luna said as she pulled away. "How does it feel being thirty?"

"I don't mind it so much as long as you're with me," Harry said honestly. "You and the kids, I love you all more than anything I could have ever imagined. Being thirty, it doesn't feel any different, really. These years have just been _happy. _Insanely hectic, but happy. I've got a good job and a perfect family. What more could any man ask for?"

"It hardly feels as though any time is passing at all," Luna noted. "A nice side effect of having you as my husband."

"Remember when we went to Chile, and I thought we were going to die on those mountains, and we didn't?" Harry asked.

"How could I forget?"

"I wasn't really going anywhere with that. I just love spending time with you. I love you more every day and I'm going to love you for the rest of my life, so thanks for putting up with that."

Luna squeezed his hand and whispered, "Tokyo." Her lips brushed the side of his face, sending shivers throughout his body.

"What about it?" he managed to respond, fighting the longing to snog her senseless.

"We haven't been there yet. Let's go for the winter holidays," Luna said.

"As long as I'm with you," Harry responded, unable to pry his eyes from her long, blonde hair, her smooth, pale skin, her wide, glimmering eyes, her soft, full lips… She got more beautiful every day.

"Oh, Harry Potter, just kiss me," she said with a sigh, and Harry kissed her so fervently he pushed her up against a tree and nearly tripped over her.

He didn't care. He got to be with Luna, Luna Potter. He got to be with her forever, and that was all that mattered. He never wanted to part from her, and he knew they would be together, always, and that when he had Luna by his side, all was well.

* * *

><p><strong>FIN<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>EDIT (14.01.2012): <strong>I'm getting some complaints in the reviews that I don't write things the British way, and I should have written it that way because the characters are British. Well, even though the characters are British, I'm American, and I'm going to type things however I damn well please. 3 Also, some of you guys think it's weird that they had four kids in four years... My parents had three kids in three years, so I didn't think it would be weird, but I guess it is. Sorry. :P Lastly, I put Draco and Ginny together because 1) I am a shameless Drinny shipper, and 2) I think since they have both done horrible things in their past that will haunt them forever, they would make a good couple. Thanks for reading, and please continue to review! :)


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